


Pretty Young Thing

by MissGillette



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Explicit Sexual Content, Falling In Love, Fluff and Smut, M/M, Misunderstandings, Size Difference, Verbal Link
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-25
Updated: 2018-02-03
Packaged: 2019-02-06 11:42:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 52,450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12816783
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissGillette/pseuds/MissGillette
Summary: Link, a kitchen boy in charge of the cuccos, is mistaken for one of King Ganon's harem boys. Ganon is amused by the whole misunderstanding, but can't seem to forget his pretty kitchen boy.I want to love youPretty young thingYou need some lovin'Tender lovin' careAnd I'll take you there





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Title and lyrics from Michael Jackson's "Pretty Young Thing." One of the two MJ songs I can tolerate lol.
> 
> I just wanted to write something sweet and soft between Ganon and Link. Sorry if shy Link isn't your thing. He's quite shy and blushy in this. *pulls on face* I love it. Ganon is also the biggest softie. Like... sexy softie, but a softie. No idea how long this will be OR if I'll get around to writing more. I just wanted to at least post this much lol. Writing rut lol. 
> 
> Link is an adult in this, btw. He's just small, and thus Ganon calls him "boy." Don't get it twisted.
> 
> Wanna make it official? [Follow this](http://missgillette.tumblr.com)

“You there!”

Jumping on his feet, Link covers his bare chest and turns at the waist to see who has yelled at him. It’s bad enough that he’d caught his clothes on the cucco coop outside, torn his top nearly in half. He doesn’t need anyone to see him in such disarray! Someone might yell at him for his clumsiness. At least he hadn’t fallen on any of his darling girls. They’d cooed at him and tried to sit near his splayed body instead, soaking up his warmth. Their hen house is clean, and they’ve been fed. He’d just wanted to sit with them and spend time with them, even though his duties for the day were complete. Link groans at his terrible luck and turns fully around when a forewoman stomps up to him. He’s never seen this one before. Her clothes are much fancier than the motherly Gerudo in charge of the kitchen, in charge of him. There are no slaves in the fortress, but he’s had a boss for every duty he’s ever performed. This one looks particularly put out and annoyed, face pinched and teeth grinding.

“Where are you going? The harem is empty, and I need someone right now for the king. What are you doing running about?”

Link sputters for a second and shakes his head. He refuses to put his hands down even when piercing, golden eyes narrow at him. Harem? For the king?! No, no, this is a mistake. He’s a farm boy, a-a… a kitchen boy! Link shakes his head hard again and yelps when the forewoman gets him about his upper arm.

“You’re a bit odd, and I’ve never seen you before, but you’ll have to do. The king is in high spirits tonight, so you’ll be fine,” she explains while dragging him along. “Someone already prepared a bath for you. The king won’t be long, though, so do not dally.”

Link stumbles behind her while still trying to cover his naked skin. A bath? Oh, he’d love one. But not under the circumstances—the misunderstanding—he’s in right now. Link blushes hotly all the way to his long ears when his brain repeats the word “harem.” He knows what that is, what the pretty boys and girls who work there do. Of course he knows. Such activities are not for him. No one in his barrack would spare him a second glance like that. Some of the other kitchen workers who sleep in his barrack fool around. But not him. He’s never even kissed someone! His face blushes even hotter while thinking about it, making his vision hazy. Link trips on an uneven stone in the floor and nearly slams his face into the back of the forewoman. She grumbles at him and just tugs him along. He should try to stop this. He’ll be no good for the king! He’s barely even seen the Gerudo. Why would he, tucked behind the kitchen most of the time, elbow deep in cucco feed and hay?

Link’s worries pause for a split second when they come to a halt outside huge, double doors Link has never seen before. Their size and ornate carvings could truly only lead to one room, though. The carving of the Goddess Din has protected each Gerudo leader through the centuries. The current one is no exception. Link would recognize her image anywhere, seeing as it’s carved into many places within the fortress. The king’s grand bedchambers lie beyond this door. Link’s heartbeat pounds at a maddening pace inside him as he casts one last, pitiful glance at the forewoman. She shoves him towards the door and shakes her head at him like he’s an idiot.

“Well? Go on. You don’t have much time to get ready. Remember to wash yourself. Thoroughly.”

She eyes him in a meaningful sort of way before turning away and slipping down the hall. Link is alone in this quiet place, insides about to melt from nerves. Maybe… Maybe he should just run down the hall, back to his barrack? This isn’t his job. He has no idea what he’s doing, would be a terrible bedmate for the king in any facet. The forewoman might remember his face, though. She’d called him “odd.” That might be worth remembering if the king complains to her that no one had been here, eagerly awaiting him. Link whines softly in the deserted hallway, ears tipping down as he shuffles closer to the door.

Maybe the king will understand. Link is no pillow boy, not a pretty thing meant for this. It’s obvious in the little scars on his fingers from angry hens, how his palms are rough and stained from the cucco feed. Not to mention his feet, dirty under the nails and calloused at the heels. Link pouts while looking down at himself and nudges one of the doors open. He’ll have to trust the king. Link just hopes the giant man isn’t drunk out of his mind.

The room he slips into is pleasantly dark inside, sheltered from the sun and heat. The floor is soft under foot, covered in furs. Link steps lightly like they’re still alive and eyes the huge bed, the simple furniture spread about the room. It’s less… lavish than he’d expected. But comfortable. Useful. Link smiles a bit while shuffling towards the brighter light pouring from an open doorway. The bath drawn for him lies here, still steaming with the water cloudy from heat and minerals. The light that had lead him here rains down from an opening in the ceiling. The sunset beams in, showering him in pinks and oranges. The heat and sand do not get in, somehow. The bath is just as simple and purposeful as the bedroom. It’s much cleaner and better stocked than the communal bath Link is used to for servants. But standing around and admiring the niceness won’t delay the inevitable. He’s wasting time.

Link glances down at the torn remains of his clothes. He’d stuffed the shredded top into the waistband of his pants. A cloth belt tied around his hips usually keeps those pants up, and it helps contain his ruined top, too. It could be repaired, which is exactly what Link had planned to do with his night. Shivering as his skin comes alive, Link disrobes with slow movements like someone watches him from the shadows. He even faces the wall as his pants pool at his feet, so overcome with shyness even while alone. Link holds himself while nudging his clothes under a stool in the corner. No one will trip over them there. And there’s no point in him putting them back on once he’s clean.

The bath is sunk into the floor. Around the stones where water sloshes a bit, soaps and oils sit waiting for him. Link tries not to disturb the water too much while stepping into it. He’s used to plain soap that usually burns a bit on his cut hands, his cracked feet. These soaps are almost like butter in his hands when he wets everything. Oh, and the smell! Like the expensive tea he carries sometimes when no one else is strong enough to haul the wrapped bundles from the pantry. Link rubs that one on his face and hums with a smile. The other soaps vary in smells. Some are strong like wine, some bright like citrus fruit. He likes that one especially and washes his arms and chest with it. The scent floats up from his skin directly into his nose.

He doesn’t spare a thought to how he’ll smell to the king, how some of these scents do not go together. He’s never had access to such luxury. Oh, and the soap he grabs for his feet. It’s like it melts away the thick skin and seals the cracks, softens the hardness. Link just spends a few minutes touching his feet when they’re clean. The water never goes dirty around him, never goes cold. He marvels at that too once he’s clean from head to toe. He’s used to a bath murky with dirty, water sloshing from many bodies coming and going. He usually just fills up a bucket and washes in a corner somewhere.

Link blushes while remembering the forewoman’s warning to wash himself “thoroughly.” He recalls her raised eyebrow and intense stare just as he’s about to climb out. He’d washed himself everywhere, but paid no particularly close attention to… intimate places. Of course he’s woken in the middle of the night to see other people in his barracks moving together, panting quietly—or not so quietly—against each other. The king would want him clean if they were to roll around in his bed. No one has ever touched Link like that, but he understands the purpose behind his intimate washing. He knows what the forewoman had meant.

Swallowing hard, Link grabs one of the mild soaps and lathers his hands. He won’t soil the whole bar by using it anywhere like that. Hands suitably slick, Link closes his eyes and blushes harder while revisiting some places on his body. He’d already taken care to wash his cock, pull the foreskin back to make sure it was actually clean. He does it again for good measure, unsure of what the king might do to him. What’s most embarrassing is to slip soapy fingers between his cheeks and then dip inside. Link shakes on his feet and cranes his left arm farther back to reach deeper. He deems himself clean enough when blood rushes into his cock, firming it some. Anymore and he might…

Scrubbing his hands clean one more time, Link flees the bath and almost trips on his wet, soft feet. He has enough wits to snatch a towel from a pile and rub himself dry. A warm, thick aroma rises from his hair and wraps around his head. It’s lovely, and Link takes a break from his panic and nerves to pull some strands to his nose. Over the wet locks, he spies a comb lying on a tray. A few red hairs cling to it, and he thinks nothing of picking them off. He holds the last one between his thumb and index finger, staring at it just before he throws it in the little bin beside the vanity. He’s never actually seen the king with his hair down. The Gerudo always wears it up, caught in gold that leads to his crown. Of course, Link has only ever seen the king in public spaces. The man must let his hair down sometimes. Link hums and flicks the hair away before taking the comb to his own, wet locks. They detangle perfectly, not yanking on his scalp or each other. Link has never has an easier time combing his hair. He makes sure none of his blond hairs stick to the comb when he’s done.

There’s nothing left now but to pull the heavy covers back from the king’s bed, slip in under them, and wait. Link twists his fingers in front of his chest while considering the bed. It must be soft, probably the most comfortable thing he’ll ever sleep on. Will the king let him sleep here? Or will the man toss him out on his rear once they’re done? Link shakes his head and stares at the floor with a mournful frown. No, he can’t judge their fair king like that. He is… kind in the public eye, has never humiliated or struck anyone. That doesn’t account for behaviors that change behind closed doors, but… Link sighs and takes those last few steps to the bed. He’s as clean as he can be, as ready as he can be. The king will be kind and gentle. He has to believe that.

Link thinks his heart and mind race too fast for him to drift off. But once the bed nearly sucks him into it as he rests, his assumption proves wrong. Link curls his arms up near his head and rubs his face in a pillow. The silky covering smells of the woodsy soap Link had used on his legs. He’s a cloud of scents right now, and they all mix in with the bedding under him, on top of him. A little smile ticks up Link’s face as he draws the blanket higher up his body. He prefers to sleep with a corner draped over his head to block his ear from sound and possibly bugs. He does so now until only his nose and mouth peek out of the blanket. He leaves plenty of space for his king and drifts precariously between dreams and the waking world.

The twinkling of jewelry landing softly on top of the table in the corner of the room startles Link awake. The sunset light from the bathroom has dimmed, and now only fires from a few torches on the walls glimmer. Link sleeps at the edge of the huge bed, facing the far wall. Both sides of the bed are clear for people to get in and out. Link just prefers his left side and thus has his back to the rest of the king’s room and the bathroom.

A deep sigh from the small table, not even close to the bed, excites the hairs on the back of Link’s neck. He awakens fully, then, and stares with wide eyes at the shadow bumping along the wall. The blanket had slipped a little, revealing enough space for Link to see. He knows the king is a huge, barrel of a man. But the shadow from the torches makes him truly monstrous. Link swallows hard and listens as the king moves about his chambers. He must not have noticed Link yet, especially with the corner of the blanket draped over Link’s face. Cloth rustles, water splashes from somewhere in the bathing chamber. The king’s happy sigh, as if he’d washed his face or hands, bounces off the tiles and into the bedchamber. The king’s steps make no noise as he approaches the bed, and Link lies there unawares until the great shadow falls over him.

“Hmm…”

Skin brushing skin announces the king’s walk around the bed. Has he removed his clothes already? It would make sense, this being the king’s bedchamber and all. Link’s eyes slam shut long before warmth radiates at the edge of the mattress. Link tries to keep still, tries to slow his breaths. When a huge hand gently settles over his side, touching him through the blanket, Link can’t help the little whine that squeaks out of him. The pressure on his side lightens, surprised at his noise. When Link doesn’t move, doesn’t make a sound again, the heavy hand on top of him lingers.

“Oh…”

The blanket over his head peels back a bit. Cool air rushes in, and Link knows the king must be looking at him.

“Well, hello. Didn’t know I had company tonight.” The king flicks the blanket away some in order to pet at Link’s hair. “Have you waited long? Go back to sleep if so.”

Link swallows hard and tilts his head up so that the king can see his face. The huge hand petting his hair shifts down, and a thumb brushes under his eye.

“I’ve never seen you before. I would have remembered such a pretty boy.”

Blushing hotly, Link holds onto the blanket still covering him and sits up a little. He refuses to lift his head enough to make eye contact. He shouldn’t look upon the king anyway. He is… godly. Chosen specially, or so he and the other servants are told. Link does watch through his dry bangs as the king turns on a heel and sits in the little space by Link’s shins. His hand returns to hold the side of Link’s head. All the peach fuzz on Link stands up on end as his skull fits perfects in that palm. His king truly is a sight and presence to behold. None of them, none of his subjects compare in size and strength. The king could so easily crush him, twist him into the bed and force Link down. But…

Link glances up a bit more through his bangs, up the length of the king’s arm, to stare at his chin. Well, the red hair groomed and trimmed on his chin. That’s as high as he’ll look this close. Sure, when he sees the king from a distance, Link looks until he’s full. The king is handsome, painfully so like the Goddesses molded him themselves. Well, maybe just Din. It had escaped Link until just now that the king is naked, bare everywhere except where hair covers him. There’s so much of him, so much black skin and red hair. The poor boy’s eyes follow all that red hair leading down to one place. In the dim light, Link just barely spies the soft root of his king’s member. He… hadn’t allowed himself to imagine what the king might hide beneath his clothes. Link’s face heats up like before in the bath. He clutches the blanket a little tighter to him and hides his face in the king’s palm. Link shifts a bit on the bed as the king chuckles. Despite his king’s amusement, Link won’t come out of hiding.

“No, I’ve never seen you before. You are a tiny, beautiful little thing, though.”

Him? Beautiful? Link wants to shake his head, to refute that. To argue with his king, though… That wouldn’t be wise. The king’s other hand comes up to pet Link’s hair out of his face, revealing a blue eye staring down at the bed. The bed is a better place to stare than between the king’s legs. The fact that Link wants to look there and see more,  **feel** more, makes him dizzy with a blush,

“So shy, too. You needn’t worry. If I were drunk, I would have passed out already. I won’t hurt you.”

Thick fingers that had pet his hair slip down to capture Link’s chin. The king pulls Link’s head out of hiding and even angles his jaw up so that they can see each other. Link’s blush must be obvious. He hopes the king doesn’t mention it or tease him.

Cocking his head a little, the king asks, “Will you look at me? You’re allowed to, I promise.”

Link’s shyness and nerves drag down his ears as he follows the king’s request. The king still has Link’s little chin in his grasp, so all Link has to do is force his gaze up to that handsome face. The king’s gold eyes are the most obvious things about him in this dim light. The wetness in them catches the torchlight and makes them shimmer. Besides that, his face is open with a little smile under his large nose. Link wishes that smile would remain once the king knows this is all a bit of a misunderstanding. Link twists his fingers in the blanket that covers him chest. The twitch catches the king’s eyes, and he reaches down with one hand to tug a little on the blanket.

“No need to hide, sweet boy. Let me see you?”

Link nods a few times, too scared to deny his king anything to object. Link at first slowly drags the blanket down to his thighs, revealing what his king probably wants, before nudging the blanket truly away with his feet. They don’t ache like they usually do, and that’s when Link remembers his bath. All the scents from the soaps rise off him, especially the citrus one around his collarbones. That’s where the king touches him first, following the bump of bone from one shoulder to the other. The king hums and smiles at everything he sees. His approval helps reduce some of Link’s fears. The gentle caress over his skin calls up a pink blush in Link’s cheeks. The king thumbs at it as his other hand drifts down. If he’d plant it in the middle of Link’s chest, it would cover most of him. He does just that and splays his fingers over pale skin. Link can’t miss how rough fingertips swipe just under his nipples, and he shivers at the sensation.

The king smiles and hums at him before asking, “Will you tell me your name? You’re very pretty. Exactly what I need at the end of a lovely day like this.”

Link’s voice catches in his throat when he tries to speak. He speaks so rarely anyway, to do so now without water and just after sleep is difficult. The king frowns at his struggles and rises completely from the bed in order to help. He returns with exactly what Link needs: water. His thick fingers bump Link’s as he hands the little cup off. As Link drinks, the king sits once more and settles his hands on the knobs of Link’s knees, warming the joints with his palms. Link jumps at the touch, and his king chuckles with deep amusement at him. Link just blushes behind his cup, heart going almost too fast to breathe, and only returns the ceramic thing once it’s empty. The king leaves it on a side table by the bed and finds the soft skin of Link’s upper thighs a better place to hold him.

“It’s um…” Link swallows hard a few times to chase away his stutter. “It’s Link.”

Large thumbs pet over the blond hair on his thighs as the king smiles in the dim light. Link can’t look away, would probably pass out from nerves if he looks down at their skin touching.

“Link,” the king repeats.

His smile is still present, still soft and welcoming. Link gathers words in his mouth to explain himself, even puts them in the correct order. But the king dashes all those words to the back of Link’s throat when he gently takes one of Link’s little hands and rubs his thumb over the back of it. Link gapes a few times, wanting to ask why the king has done such a thing. But before he can order  _ that _ question in his mouth, the king steals his words again! Chuckling deeply in his chest, the king lifts Link’s hand just a bit more and meets him halfway to kiss the skin he’d just pet. Link jumps beside the king’s massive knee and slaps his free hand on it to steady himself. That must please the king, because he bends close to kiss up Link’s thin arm. He’d held Link’s wrist to kiss his hand, and now that rough hand slides up Link’s arm to grip the muscle in his upper arm. The king blinks at the little bulge, squeezing where Link has earned his strength by lifting hay bales, tea bales, and anything else the kitchen forewoman asks of him. Bushy, red eyebrows come together a little as the king considers the rest of him, also not as thin as he’d thought upon first glance.

“You are… more fit than I thought. Odd, but not unpleasant.” The king teases him with another squeeze to the muscles in his arm. He smiles at Link’s blush while doing it. “How did you come by such strength? Did you labor before entering my harem?”

The king glances down at the rest of him with new eyes, new appreciation. Of course Link has seen the king demonstrate his strength with great feats. Hurling large stones during the winter games, dueling with the best warriors in the tribe. The king’s appreciation of his farm-boy body startles Link more than when the king had called him beautiful. He is fit, yes, but he is… scrawny. Scrappy. Old scars cross over his hands, feet, his shins. They’re all casualties of his duties. He doesn’t blame his girls. Sometimes, they’re not in the mood to tolerate pets or his presence. It’s not their fault he misses their warnings that they give and he usually catches. Link worries at his bottom lip as the king takes his hand again and traces a large finger over the scars there. The king frowns now, and it is full of worry.

“Your hands…” He bends his head around to ogle Link’s feet, too. “Oh dear… You must be extremely new, little Link. I’ve never seen such callouses on one of my bedmates before.”

“Sorry,” Link whispers while ducking his head down. “I washed before you arrived…”

“I noticed,” the king says with a bit of mirth in his voice. “I think you used every soap I have in there.”

“Sorry.”

A finger curls under Link’s round chin and urges him to look up. Link doesn’t immediately meet the king’s golden gaze, but as the silence stretches on, he relents.

“Don’t be. If you are new, and if these scars tell me anything, then I’m glad you could enjoy a bath that was long and peaceful.”

Link is about to thank his king for such a thing, because yes, he’d enjoyed that bath immensely. But the king leans down to nuzzle his hair and breathe in the clean scent of him. His body heat rolls off him in a wave and consumes Link. It chases the chill away, and Link shivers for a different reason now. The king still has his hand, still pets over the scars on it. His other hand drops Link’s chin to hold his shoulder instead. The king hums in his ear while dragging his nose and lips over the cartilage. A tiny sound squeaks out of Link as he jumps. He can’t seem to stop that around the king, and another chuckle vibrates along his neck as the king laughs at him.

“Mmm, you are shy indeed.” The rough skin of the king’s palm rasps up and down Link’s arm as he pets him. “You have nothing to fear from me. I can see that you’re new to this. Please know I will not harm you, will not touch you where you don’t want me to. You can tell me no.”

A few kisses to the side of his neck steals Link’s words and breath. He gasps high in the king’s shorter ear. A chuckle tickles along Link’s neck as the king kisses him again, trailing wetness down his neck to his shoulder. Link’s free hand flies up to grip at the king’s huge bicep, fingertips digging into the muscle. The king pauses then and sits up a little, placing some distance between them. His face is warm with a flush Link barely sees in the low light. But it bestows such a glow to him that Link is thankful he sees it at all. The king watches him for a silent, few seconds before reaching up to caress Link’s face with the backs of his fingers.

“Are you all right? There’s no reason to fear me, Link. I won’t touch you if you don’t want me to.”

“I-I’m sorry, it’s just…” How does he explain this? He truly doesn’t want to upset his king, not when he’s been so happy and pleasant this whole time. “I’ve just um… I’ve never…”

Golden eyes widen in understanding.

“Oh… Oh, I see.” The king’s gaze lowers to their hands where his petting of Link’s skin turns thoughtful. “They’ve never sent me some one so green before. No wonder you’re shaking like that.”

Link tunes into how a shiver wracks his body every so often. He tries to stop it, to will himself still, but it’s of no use.

“I’m sorry, my king, please I-I’m not afraid of you, I—”

The king cuts him off with a smirk and eyes that shimmer with amusement. Link’s teeth click together when his mouth snaps shut.

“Link, you are one of my little treasures, now. Titles are irrelevant in the bedroom. Please use my name. You know it, yes?”

He does, only he dares not speak or think it. Link squirms under the king’s amused stare and won’t meet his eyes.

“Yes, my king, I know it. I am unused to saying it…”

The king’s chuckle turns dark and rich in his chest as he lifts Link’s hand to kiss it all over again. These kisses have meaning behind them, and each lingers longer than the last. Link finally tunes into the prick of his king’s facial hair as it caresses the backs of his fingers. How would that hair feel brushing against his chin in a kiss? Other places on his body as the king explores? Link shivers and hopes his curiosity isn’t obvious on his face. Link can’t look away from how every kiss leaves a bit of moisture behind. Golden eyes watch him from under the king’s heavy brow as he plants each one.

“You would say it a great deal if I had you tonight,” he murmurs above pale skin. “I promise you no pain in whatever you allow. Only the greatest pleasure you’ve yet to know. Let me show you?”

If it were possible, steam would flow out of Link’s ears. He’s sure he’s about to pass out from all the heat collecting in his face. No one has ever spoken to him like this before. And from anyone else, it might come across as… cheesy. Awkward. But the king is smooth to a fault, returning to placing gentle kisses up Link’s arm as he waits for a reply. Link just shivers and steams quietly until breath ghosts across his cheek. They’re tucked close again with the king’s warmth blowing over him. Link’s lips part as he draws in a breath, and he doesn’t miss the way how electric eyes stare at the little space between his lips. He knows his front teeth are visible in that space. And when the king shifts just that much closer, clearly intent on kissing him, Link leaves that space there when lips cover his.

The king does nothing to root Link to the spot. No hand holds his jaw, no fingers tangle in his hair. The king’s hands remain low, one still with his hand and the other on Link’s thigh. Link’s skin sings everywhere the king’s rough hands have caressed. He moans just a bit against thicker lips that push against his, shift as the king turns one kiss into two and then countless more. Link remains still through all of them, neither moving his body, his hands, or his mouth. After a while of this, the king sits back and considers Link with another frown. Link’s eyes only open when that silence stretches on, which is how he catches the king’s puzzled expression. Link’s head ducks down as he cowers, but the king reaches up to pet his hair as comfort. He thinks for a long while in silence, just petting Link and sharing his warmth. Link thinks they’ll never speak, that the king will never reach for him again, just as that quiet, deep voice finally sounds again.

“Link… where do you work in the fortress?”

Link doesn’t understand the question right away. But as the king continues to watch him thoughtfully, it dawns on Link what he means. The king has put all the puzzle pieces together. He must have figured out Link is no harem boy, not meant for things like kisses and the rest. Link bows his head in shame and explains himself.

“I’m a kitchen boy, my king. I was… returning to my barrack when a forewoman came upon me. I t-tore my clothes while cleaning up for the night, and she mistook me for a… bedmate for you. She said she couldn’t um find anyone else and brought me here.” Link’s shoulders just rise up higher and higher as he confesses. “I’m sorry. I didn’t want to cause t-trouble, so I stayed um… I’m so sorry, my king, I didn’t mean to lie and—”

“You never lied,” the king points out softly. He tips Link’s little head up and offers him a smile. “I was the one who assumed who you were. What a great adventure you must have gone through, coming here. Did the forewoman not listen when you objected?”

Link nods at first and then shakes his head hard enough to slaps his hair around.

“N-no, no, it wasn’t her fault. I don’t speak very often, and she was upset. So I stayed quiet.”

The king’s eyebrows come together again.

“That’s concerning, Link. Would you have stayed quiet if I touched you? I kissed you just now, and you were like a statue. Although knowing what I know now, it makes sense.”

“I’m sorry.”

The king shakes his head, pets at Link’s cheek one more time, and then removes his hands completely.

“Don’t be. Now that the truth is out, I won’t touch you anymore. I’m sorry if I scared you. You may stay if you wish. It’s the least I can do for you. Stay or go, the decision is yours.”

When the king rises to leave the bed, Link shoots a hand out for his wrist. The king pauses immediately and blinks down at Link, genuine surprise on his face.

“My king, there is no one else to um… keep you company tonight. The forewoman said so.”

Twisting his wrist in Link’s fingers, the king holds his hand and keeps close enough to brush the bed with his knees. The king stares down at their hands for a moment before speaking. Link hadn’t known how full of contemplative silences his king could be. He considers his words a great deal before speaking them. Caution and concern for others cloaks each movement and word the king makes. Link appreciates that about him, also that he is aware of his powerful voice and does not yell. Angry screams from the kitchen always have him diving into the hay in a shed or hiding in the cucco coop. Yelling shakes him to the core, and he avoids it as much as he can.

“I understand, but I cannot ask you to perform a task to which you are ill-suited.” The king reaches up with his other hand to pet the faded blush in Link’s round cheek. “Please do not mistake me, though. You are beautiful, and I would have you. But I cannot take advantage of you like that.”

Link sits up on his knees in order to keep his king within reach. The man had tried to step away, but Link feels that their conversation hasn’t ended, yet.

“My king, please—”

“My name, Link,” the king reminds him softly. “This conversation is far beyond titles, as is the setting of my bedchamber. Please use it.”

Link darts his eyes away, unable to look upon his king while saying his name.

“Gan-Ganon,” he whispers like someone will catch him and scold him. He still doesn’t lift his eyes when he goes on with, “You wouldn’t be taking advantage of me if… if I said yes…”

The king—Ganon—makes no move to sit or leave. Link feels the tension winding tightly between them. He’s still surprised that… Ganon hasn’t kicked him out, yet. Their joined hands remain, and Link worries that as his palm grows sweaty with nerves Ganon might finally find him disgusting. He doesn’t want that. Everyone has a bit of love for their ruler in their heart. Whether they admire Ganon’s strength, his figure, his diplomacy… Link admits to himself with a little squirm on his knees that he knows what part of Ganon he likes best. Although until tonight he hadn’t known how considerate and charming his king is. Ganon’s deeply murmured statement earlier about Link saying his name over and over while they’re together heats up Link’s face again. He’s heard people moan and pant to each other in the dark around him while trying to sleep… He knows the sorts of things that go on between two people, just has never…

Ganon tips his head up again to say, “You do not even know what you’re saying ‘yes’ to.” He says it with a smile though, so Link’s heart doesn’t break like it should. “It would be the same as me touching you after you’ve told me no.”

Link nods along in the dim, but objects as lightly as he can.

“True, m-my king um… Ganon, but… I’ll never know anything unless someone shows me.” Link gathers all his courage like so many wildflowers sprouting from the desert after a brief rain and looks up at his king. “You won’t hurt me. If-if anyway wouldn’t hurt me, it’d be you.”

“Of course not,” Ganon agrees. “You don't have to do this. King or no, only do this because you want to, not because of who I am.”

Link forces his eyes back to Ganon’s, but he trembles terribly while doing it. Those gold eyes watch him with a smile in them, appreciating him in some manner.

“I would… like to try.”

Ganon nods right away and turns on a heel to face the bed again. Link tries not to look at the rest of him.

“You have a great deal of strength in you. Bravery. I admire that.”

Link opens his mouth to thank his king for such a compliment, feeling unworthy of it. But Ganon bends down with a smile, grabs him by the hips, and lifts him off the bed. Link’s legs kick a bit under him as he clings to Ganon’s wrists for dear life. They don't go far. Ganon just lays him down in the middle of the bed instead of the extreme edge. That done, he flicks the blanket away and settles down, too. The dip in the plush mattress from Ganon’s added mass has Link rolling towards him. Link steadies himself with his hands on his king’s black skin, but almost rips his hands away once he realizes what he's done. But Ganon encourages him closer by curling an arm around him. He doesn't press them flush together like Link thinks he will. Ganon maintains a respectful amount of space between them, giving Link plenty of room to curl his arms up between them and breathe. Ganon hums and shuffles on his side to get comfortable before lifting the arm he has around Link. His curled up fingers pet over Link’s hair as they watch each other in the dark.

“So what do you do in the kitchen?”

The question makes sense when Ganon speaks it. Link just isn't sure what to make of it. His mouth opens and closes a few times as he tries to figure out what his king means by that. Ganon just watches him, quiet and patient while petting his hair, his cheek, the bump of his shoulder.

“Um… I take care of the cuccos.”

Smile tugging his lips, Ganon asks, “Do you? And do you enjoy it?”

Link tries to focus on his king’s question and the conversation. But his skin is alive and hums under Ganon’s hand that cradles his side. He hopes Ganon doesn't feel his ribs, how his heart flutters like one of his scared girls. It takes everything in Link to keep his breathing calm. Ganon would surely notice his nerves, then. Swallowing hard, Link closes his eyes to block out Ganon’s glimmering eyes and pleasant face. Like this he cannot escape his king’s warmth or the salt and sun smell of him. He doesn't ever get this close to others, let alone someone like Ganon. Link’s eyes refuse to open as he forms his response, too absorbed in taking in his king through the rest of his senses.

“I do,” he murmurs. “No one else likes them. So I take care of them.”

Warm breath ghosts over his face followed by equally warm lips kissing his forehead. It's such a tender expression that Link lets out a tiny sound as Ganon pulls away, as if to say, “No, come back.” Ganon does him one better and holds the back of his head in his huge hand. Like this, Link tunes in to just how much smaller he is to the king. Link swallows hard at the gentle drag of lips down his nose and then across his cheek. No one has ever touched him like this, held him so tenderly without the intent to hurt him. Unsure of what to do with his hands, Link twists them up in the blanket under them. Ganon smiles against his jaw, having tipped his head up to reach that skin. His lips wander closer and closer to Link’s mouth with each caress.

The arm Ganon had thrown over him shifts down, and Ganon’s free hand takes one of Link’s wrists. He guides that hand to his chest and flattens Link’s little hand on the swell of his breast. Beneath black skin, Ganon’s heart beats calmly under Link’s hand. It's a stark contrast to Link’s heart that races like a weathervane caught in a strong wind. He can't stop it or hope to calm it. Link breathes hard out through his nose when Ganon’s lips pause at the corner of his mouth.

“May I kiss you again? Now that you're more familiar with the act and what I want to do to you?”

Link bites his lip and nods without thinking about it. If he thinks about kissing his king, about other things, he'll lose his nerve. Ganon hums against him and tilts his head just the way he needs it. This way, their noses don't bash together when Ganon kisses him—although the king’s nose does squish a bit against Link’s cheek. Link would giggle about it if he weren't caught up in the sensation of lips cradling his and moving softly over them. Link doesn't know what to do, but Ganon hadn't seemed to like him staying still and tense. “Like a statue,” his king had said. Link’s hand twitches over Ganon’s heart as he cranes his head forward to put pressure against Ganon’s mouth. Is this what he should do? He's seen people kiss before, but the coordination of lips, teeth, and tongue is too complex for him to figure out. Ganon smiles into their kiss and pulls back to end it. That smile lingers on his face as they watch each other in the dark. His hand is warm on the back of Link’s head, on Link’s hand he'd guided to his chest. Sure that Link won't retract that little hand, Ganon lets him go to scoop him up and pull him closer. Link breathes hard between them with his lips still buzzing from such a simple kiss.

“That was nice,” Ganon comforts him lowly. “I liked that much better than the first time.”

Dazed, Link nods a little in Ganon’s hand. Those thick fingers dive through his hair to rub at his scalp. Link shivers and bobs his head along to the strength of Ganon’s caress. Again, no one has ever touched him like this. The only time someone touches his hair is to pull on it. Or if his girls peck at it to play. Eyes lightly shut, Link groans high in his throat and melts into the bed. If his king says anything more, Link doesn't hear it. He jumps when lips kiss his chin and up his jaw. That clears his head enough to hear Ganon’s breaths and his own, quiet moans. They're a shock to his ear, so loud and unlike him, that Link snaps his mouth shut. Ganon pauses at his silence and sits back enough to catch his eyes.

“What's wrong? You don't have to be quiet, Link. Be as loud as you want.”

Head swimming in a blush, Link mumbles back, “It’s embarrassing.”

Ganon chuckles in the tiny space between them and kisses his cheek again.

“Okay. Don't hurt yourself while holding back, though. No biting your lip. They're too pretty for that.”

Link smiles at Ganon's teasing and nods in his hand. He is terribly guilty of biting his lips when he's nervous or even bored. But he won't, since Ganon asks him not to. Link squirms a little in his arms, wondering what comes next. Ganon’s hand on his back is warm and rough. It sweeps over the skin, up and down in a lazy sort of way. He rarely sees people touch each other tenderly like this. Link always wakes up to them tangled together already, bodies joined in intimate places. So Ganon kissing him so sweetly and just holding him is… new. Odd, but he likes it. It's a welcome relief from the pain of someone shoving him or kicking sand on him.

Every shift of Ganon’s body or press of lips to a new area startles Link, though. He jumps especially hard when Ganon wiggles lower on the bed. The king himself chuckles at Link’s nervous habit. Link’s hand slides up Ganon’s body as it goes, and eventually Link removes his hand entirely. Unsure of where to put it, Link stretches his right arm above his head and rolls slightly onto his back. Ganon follows him, head level with the center of Link’s chest.

“Mmm, Link, you sweet thing,” Ganon nearly purrs against his skin. “I can't believe you've been hiding in the kitchen this whole time.” He presses a long kiss to the center of Link’s chest and smiles when it hitches under him. He doesn’t seem to mind the pitiful amount of hair there. “I've never wanted someone like I want you. I hope that's all right.”

Trembling on his back, Link whimpers, “Be gentle,” when he can manage nothing else. And even that comes out barely above a whisper.

“Oh Link,” Ganon sighs like he said something silly. “Sweet boy, I won't be taking you tonight.”

Ganon returns to kissing across his chest after that, but Link interrupts him with a quietly spoken, “N-no?”

When Ganon hums at that, the vibrations rumble against the soft nub of Link’s nipple. It's warm enough in the bed and between them for his skin to relax. But it firms up a little with Ganon’s mouth so close. Link’s fingers twist in the blanket under them. Does… Does Ganon mean to…

“No,” he says even deeper than before. His voice rumbles harder, and Link shivers under him as his skin pulls tight. “I had something else in mind. Something more focused on you than me. It'd be selfish of me to acquaint you with my body tonight. Another time, perhaps?”

Link opens his mouth to either object or thank Ganon. He's not sure which, because a tongue laps over his pink nipple before he can get the words out. Link’s body snaps under Ganon’s weight like a bow drawn and ready to fire. Ganon just smiles around his nipple and slips his hand down Link’s spine. When he reaches the small of Link’s back, that tough hand slides over Link’s hip and flattens over his navel. Ganon gently lowers him to the bed and gives up his torturous circling around Link’s nipple with his tongue. He spares Link a second of relief, a moment to gather a breath in his mouth.

And then the calloused pads of Ganon’s fingers squeeze around the other nipple. Harder and harder until it's firm from all his teasing. Link’s mouth hangs open, wide and silent as he arches under Ganon. A brief cry rips out of him when lips return to nuzzle the other side of his chest, sometimes swiping over his other nipple. Pressure seals around it again and sends Link into a squirming fit. Ganon smiles with his lips pinched around Link’s nipple. Each flick of his tongue or gentle suck has Link trashing. No one has ever done this to him! He hadn't known! He wakes up aroused sometimes, finds himself aroused throughout the day for no reason occasionally. And he knows how to touch himself, but he hadn't known about this secret his body had kept. Where else on his body makes him see stars and writhe like this?

Ganon’s mouth leaves him long enough to ask, “Are you well, my sweet boy? Should I stop?”

Link throws his head around and bites the inside of his cheek through a whine. Ganon’s fingers still gently pluck at the other nub, switching between squeezing it and rolling it. His king is so fond of chuckling and finding amusement in his sounds, his struggles. Ganon’s deep laughter tickles the soft skin just above his navel as Ganon kisses him there. Link jumps hard under him and whines.

“Link, I asked if you are well.”

Amusement lingers in Ganon’s voice when he repeats himself. The thick fingers at his nipple pause to give Link some time to breathe. He flops back to the bed and pants to the side. Some of his hair falls in his face, and Link reaches up with a trembling hand to flick it away. Who knew that so much attention to a small area on him could take him apart like this? Link’s buzzing chest heaves as he draws in air. So much heat sweeps over him—mostly from his king. Link blinks a few times to clear haze from his eyes and turns his head to find Ganon watching him in the dim light. Ganon lies mostly on his side, but hovers over Link supported on an elbow sunk into the bed. The orange light provided by the torches makes his hair and eyes almost glow. Link can't look at him for long. Closing his eyes, Link nods. Everything inside him flinches at the image of Ganon’s gold eyes sparkling above his naked belly. He sees it even now with his eyes blessedly closed. He'd tried not to look down where he's hard against his thigh, but he'd seen that, too.

“I-I'm fine.”

Ganon’s facial hair bites into the skin under Link’s navel as he dips lower, trailing kisses down.

“Should I stop?” His deep voice purrs.

“N-no.”

A smirk stretches the next kiss Ganon pecks on him. His mouth and chin scratch against the blond hair between Link’s legs. Link sucks in a deep breath and can't decide between slamming his thighs shut or throwing them open more. Ganon is his king, shouldn't do what he's about to do—what Link  _ thinks _ he's about to do. It's obvious with Ganon’s earlier statement that he wants to focus on Link. It's obvious with the path his mouth follows down, kissing and nipping as it goes. Link has never kissed someone, let alone had a mouth on him like that. He's seen it, hasn't thought the notion of giving such pleasure could be… well pleasant. Not when he's seen the few men in the Gerudo Fortress grab the heads and hair of their partners and treat them roughly. Link doesn't like people pulling his hair, would especially hate it while doing… that.

Stomach clenching tightly inside him, Link forces his eyes open. He has to tell his king that they don't have to do this, that it truly should be him offering this. It’s his duty to serve the fortress and anything its people need. To lie back and take such a thing from his king without giving first is… too much for Link. Link gets a shaky arm under him and sits up. Ganon has scooted down the bed and the short length of Link’s body to hover above Link’s hips. His eyes remain closed as he paints kisses around the knob of Link’s hipbone, avoiding his erection for now.

“My um… Ganon…”

“Mmm?”

Ganon never pauses.

Squirming under him, Link whimpers, “You don't… You don't have to do that.”

Gold eyes peel open as Ganon nips the very top of Link’s thigh where it connects to his hip.

“Do what?”

Link’s face fills up with heat all the way to his hairline. He has to close his eyes when his vision swims in the low light. Shoulders in his ears, Link trembles as the soft kisses circle back towards the midline of his body, back towards his erection.

“You don't… You don't have to.”

Ganon’s amused hum vibrates right by the root of Link’s cock, and Link chokes on his breath. Ganon rips a high-pitched gasp out of him when his next kiss brushes over that velvety skin.

“You don't have to!” Link pleads. Another kiss slides against his shaft, and Link pants out a moan. “You don't, you don't, Ganon…”

“Mmm, but I want to. You're so pretty Link, so lovely. How could I not?”

Link whimpers at that and smashes his cheek into his own shoulder.

“I won't though, if you don't like it. Or if you're scared.”

Ganon does stop then, waiting for Link to decide. The hand he's not lying on blankets Link’s right hip and slides up his stomach. His palm drags up and down Link’s skin, petting him and comforting him. It's nice, and Link relaxes painfully tense muscles he hadn't known he was clenching. Link swallows his nerves before reaching down to still Ganon’s huge hand. Ganon does him one better and flips his hand over to hold Link’s.

“I'm not scared,” Link admits quietly. “But… shouldn't I um… to you? You're my king.”

Ganon tugs Link’s hand down to kiss the back of it.

“That's very generous of you, Link,” he murmurs just above the pale back of Link’s hand. “And I'd love to see that. But not tonight. Is that all right?”

Link’s shoulders hunch up by his ears again as he whimpers, “But I want you to feel good, too.”

“Mmm, and I will. Don't worry, sweet boy.” Ganon replaces Link’s hand over his navel and returns to kissing near his cock. “I will take my pleasure in this way, and from the pretty sounds you make. If you'll allow me?”

Link’s fingers dig into the tense muscles of his abdomen. There's not a single part of him that wants to say no. Not even a little bit. He just can't wrap his brain around Ganon pleasuring him and not the other way around. But he bottles the little hitch in his breath and nods.

“O-okay. Please be gentle.”

Another kiss pecks lower on his shaft, drawing nearer to the head, and Ganon rumbles, “Of course.”

The kisses turn firmer with Link’s permission. He chokes on another gasp at the first swipe of tongue. Link thanks himself again and again for making absolutely sure to wash himself well. He'd truly been a filthy, little animal before his bath. Now, Link's softer, cleaner feet dig into the bed as he tries not to arch into Ganon’s smirking mouth. The bed jostles under Link as Ganon rolls and knocks his legs apart. Nestled between them, his king laughs at his squirming again while grabbing Link behind his knees and setting those short legs over his shoulders. Link blushes at the intimate position, how it opens his body to Ganon’s touch.

Also like this Ganon’s loose hair brushes the insides of Link’s thighs. It would tickle if Ganon weren't busy mouthing at the underside of his cock. It's hard enough now to lie blushing and wet on Link’s flat stomach. Link jerks hard and squeezes Ganon’s shoulders in the bends of his knees when his king’s tongue laps at the crown of his head. Huge hands pin his hips to the bed, and Ganon feels every tremble and hitch of Link’s body. Ganon hums at Link’s incoherent moans and presses messy kisses where his foreskin connects to his head. Link usually doesn't touch himself too much there. His orgasm comes crashing down on him too fast when he does.

“Hng, mmm my, my king no, no, not there ahhh…”

Ganon’s chuckle turns almost evil as he says, “No? Are you sure?”

Tongue and lips swipe harder over that spot, and Link’s body bows off the bed. He shrieks and drops right back down when Ganon’s warm mouth seals completely around him. He's sure if he could gather the courage to open his eyes that he'd find Ganon's nose squished to the softness just above his cock. But to open his eyes would cause him such embarrassment that he might pass out, so he doesn't. Ganon hums around him to draw out more moans and cries. Link gives them to him with plenty to spare. Soon, the sandstone walls of Ganon’s bedchamber echo and damn near vibrate with Link’s sounds. He loses all control and almost tears the blanket under them at all the pressure and sweet heat around him. He hadn't known—couldn't have known—how this would feel.

Link’s thighs tremble around Ganon’s ears, but they do not clamp down. Link won't last long like this. Ganon is too attentive as a lover, knows his body too well having never met him. The wet drag and lips and tongue over him makes the world spin around Link. He’s not sure which way is up or down, is only aware of pressure around his cock that he’s never felt before. It’s too much, and a familiar spring winds tighter and tighter deep inside him. Link reaches a trembling hand up to touch Ganon’s head, to warn him. But his king draws back to stab his tongue in the slit of Link’s little cock, and Link’s warning is thrown to the ceiling.

Link doesn't hear Ganon’s pleased hum around him. Doesn't even feel it due to his orgasm sweeping him away. His king leaves him spent and satisfied, splayed out on the bed. Ganon does not leave him entirely, though. A hard tremor runs up and down Link’s body, and Ganon chases it with his hands. The poor boy is far too sensitive to caress anywhere near his cock, so Ganon avoids it. Shocks pulse to the beat of Link’s heart between his legs. It's the only sensation he has until the tears running down his cheeks draw him out of his haze. Next, Link tunes into Ganon’s rough hands rubbing up and down his body. They start at the tops of his thighs, rub up his belly and chest, and then back down his sides to begin again. Link’s body arches into Ganon’s hands every time he breathes. The urge to touch Ganon back seizes Link’s shaking body. He lifts a hand to cover a thick wrist when it drifts up near his chest again.

“My king,” Link rasps. His last scream had broken his voice. He isn't sure what to say. “Ganon.”

The bed dips along Link’s left side as Ganon lies back down. It's much warmer like this, and Link instantly rolls onto his side to face that warmth. Link’s lips are slack and soft when Ganon slots them together. Link isn't expecting the salt, bitterness of his own come, and he whines a bit. It's just the aftertaste, but he's not fond of it. Ganon chuckles at his wiggling and whining and ends that single kiss. He presses another to Link’s forehead instead and scoops him up like before. Heart fluttering lightly, Link presses out all the space between them.

The salt and sun smell of his king mixes with the soap Link had used and the general body smell of the bed. It's all so nice, so much better than the musky scents of his barrack-mates. Ganon’s chest hair is damp with sweat, and Link pets it to try and fluff it up again. A snort echoes in that chest, and Ganon curls down to kiss the top of his head.

“Are you still well, Link?”

Link nods and swallows a few times to find his voice.

“Yes,” comes out weak but sure. “Yes, my king. Thank you.”

“No thanks necessary,” Ganon says with his voice heavy and warm in Link’s ear. “It was my pleasure.”

One of Link’s hands flinches where it's caught between them. Should he…? Shame creeps over Link then at being so selfish. He hadn't thought until now to return his king’s generosity. Ganon is done with him, and now Link should offer himself. Link’s hand gets as far as the hair under Ganon’s navel before a light grip on his wrist stops him. Ganon lifts that little hand right back up and traps it against his heart. He leaves his own hand there for good measure.

“No, my little sweet. Not tonight.”

Link shrinks down immediately and whispers, “I'm sorry.”

“It's all right. I meant what I said before. That was plenty for me.”

Link nods and risks a glance up. Ganon’s face is peaceful and smooth, eyes closed as he breathes. He must sense Link staring up at him, because he cracks open one eye like a lazy cat.

“Yes?”

It's more of a sound than a word.

Bowing his head in shame, Link asks, “Do you want me to leave now?”

Ganon’s arm around him holds him tighter for a few seconds. Link’s heart stops during those seconds. And once Ganon’s arm slackens again, Link’s heart beats twice as fast.

“No,” Ganon slurs through the beginnings of slumber. “You may leave if you want. But I will not… not send you away.”

A yawn interrupts Ganon’s reply. Link smiles softly at the gesture, relating his king to a lion. His king is certainly regal like one, beautiful like one. Link ducks his head down with a giggle and cuddles closer.

“I'll stay, then,” he whispers like a secret.

His reply is a snore. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All right, some niceness after that horrifying chapter of "Hush" lol. Prepare for sweet Ganon, a steamy bath, and thIGH FUCKING. No idea when this will update again, because I want to finish it before I post chapter three. So RIP.

Link leaves his king’s bedchambers long after Ganon. He finds fresh clothes waiting for him, his torn ones gone somewhere. Away. Link steps into the new pants and top, wishing he could thank Ganon one last time. But he has hens to feed, not a whirlwind night to sigh over. His girls are quite upset at his post-dawn arrival. They stand on his feet and nibble at his new pants as he gets to his duty. The day passes Link without much thought or impact. One second he's climbing out of Ganon’s huge bed—alone—and the next he's falling onto his cot in his barrack. Link hasn't slept next to someone since his parents… He doesn't like to think about that, but he wishes he were on the other side of the fortress right now, in a much more comfortable room. But he is not. His place is here, so he stays. Link just wishes his position within the fortress allowed him to see Ganon more often. He's always stolen brief glances across a garden or open-to-air halls before. But now that he'd beheld the king’s radiance and beauty up close… Link falls asleep every night after that with a sigh, wishing foolish wishes.

Link doesn't see even a single, red hair of his king for a week. Link knows he's just a kitchen boy, nothing to Ganon, so he tries not to feel like this is avoidance or neglect. Ganon hadn't even known he existed before that night. He's not a harem boy to boot, so why would anything change after? Of course, that doesn't stop Link from remembering and sighing as he readies for another day. Ganon is his first thought—besides maybe “ouch, slept wrong”—when he rises and his last thought before he sleeps. It is just so this morning, and the only thing that distracts him from his memories is a commotion in the kitchen. He hears his fellow servants crowing and chattering like his cuccos outside. Shaking his head, Link slips between the legs of the taller Gerudo around him to reach the door that leads outside. The sun is about to rise, and already yellow light and heat spill over the horizon. They'll both spill into every valley and shadow in the courtyard where the cuccos are soon enough. He'd like to feed them before he's soaked in sweat.

When Link opens the bottom portion of the split door to slip out, he pauses in the dust.

They’re nearly finished, area cleaned up and a hammer pounding the last nails into place. But in his courtyard, Ganon and another Gerudo work around the hen house. Well, where the hen house had been. Now, a structure tall enough for him to walk upright into and perhaps twice as long takes up that space. Link stands in the early morning, blinking at it all. One of them had cut the wood for the new coop while the other had hammered it all together. Link isn’t sure who’d done what, only that it’s finished. Ganon stands to his full height, missing his cape and other court fineries. With a huge hand that’s so familiar to Link now, Ganon gives the structure a little shake in order to judge its soundness. It doesn’t budge, and he shoots his helper a grin. It’s the other Gerudo who sees Link first, and they nod their head in his direction. Grin still stretching his handsome face, Ganon twists at the hip to look at him.

“Ahh, my sweet Link, there you are.” Ganon urges him forward with a curled finger. “It had come to my attention that your chickens needed a better home. And now, they have one.”

“C-cuccos,” Link corrects timidly, although he steps forward as Ganon commands. “They’re cuccos, my king.”

Ganon leans forward to take one of his hands with a hum and a flick of his eyebrow.

“Yes, your chickens. Anyway, you shouldn’t have to bend down to enter the coop anymore. It’s a worthy improvement for that alone.”

To think that his king has actually done this for him—by his own hand—touches the deepest part of Link’s heart. The poor thing can’t stop fluttering in his chest as he stands within Ganon’s personal space. A heavy knee disturbs the dust, and then Ganon’s face dips into view. Link jumps on his sandaled feet and tries to step back. But Ganon doesn’t want that, desire made obvious when he gives a little tug on Link’s hand. A “little tug” to a giant like Ganon is enough to trip Link forward. They stand in each other’s breathing space, too close for how many people watch them. Link’s fellow servants giggle and crow again behind him. Link lights up like the morning sun and blushes to his hairline. He blushes damn near hard enough to faint when Ganon lifts his free hand to cup Link’s cheek.

“How are you?” Ganon asks him genuinely. “I’ve missed you this past week, but in my haste to have you did not think to ask  **which** kitchen you worked in. You are a difficult person to find, my little treasure.”

Link tries to shrink down between his shoulders, but Ganon’s warm hand holding his face doesn’t let him get far. Their space is intimate, and Ganon’s voice does not travel farther than their ears. But it is a deep, suggestive voice, and Link’s whole body shakes at its rumble.

“M-my king, please, you’re… embarrassing me.”

Ganon’s gold eyes flick up to the other servants watching them, all trying to hide in the doorway. He smirks at them and urges Link forward. Link squeaks as smirking lips kiss his forehead. Naturally, his fellows behind him all burst into calls and cheers at such a sight. Link wants to reach up and cover his face with his hands, but what good would that do him? He just bites his lip instead and stands there, quivering in the sand. Ganon’s hand shifts down his jaw, and then his thumb pets at the space between Link’s lower lip and his chin. The little movement helps tug Link’s lip out of his teeth. Link remembers too late Ganon’s murmured request that night for him to abstain from such a thing. And when Link peeks an eye open, he finds Ganon waiting for him with a pointed look and a raised eyebrow.

“What did I say about hurting yourself?”

“Sorry,” Link says after swallowing hard.

Ganon hums at that, satisfied, and turns to his fellow Gerudo.

“I guess we can release the little beasts, now. Return their home to them.”

Link’s hand twitches where it’s still caught in Ganon’s.

“Did… did anyone spread hay around inside? They’ll build their own nests, but, um…”

Ganon returns to his full height, but now this new position just allows him to pull Link closer and smile down on him.

“Would they object to the smell of our hands on the hay? They know you.”

Although it pains Link to do so, he slips his hand from Ganon’s and makes tiny steps towards the hay shed.

“I’ll do it, my king. Please, um, please don’t trouble yourself further.”

Ganon flicks a hand at Link, the same smile still on his face. Link’s heart won’t stop fluttering.

“Hand me the feed, then. We’ve put you behind schedule.”

Link thinks to resist, to beg his king off. But a fire smoldering in Ganon’s eyes, like the night they’d shared, makes him rethink that. Link knows his work clothes are… revealing. His top doesn’t cover his shoulders, has deep slits in the sides that allow his torso to peek through. True, from the waist down, he’s covered. But the pale, firm skin of his torso and arms are enough for Ganon. Link scurries away, his ass nearly burning from his king’s powerful gaze, and hastes to do as Ganon says. Link opens the hay shed and dives into the corner where barrels wider and almost taller than him store the feed for his girls. Link spares a thought and hopes they’d been gentle to the cuccos while rounding them up. They’re confused, fearful little things and startle easily. Of course, Link is jumpy, too, and he jumps even now while filling a feedbag from the barrel. Someone has brought his girls back to the courtyard, and they squawk at someone other than him handling them. Link bursts back out of the shed with the feed in hand and offers it to Ganon without looking at him. Ganon’s fingers brush over his hand to take the bag, but Link dives away again before anything heated blooms between them. The sun rising is hot enough, thank you.

Link thinks to try and keep his distance from Ganon while he carries fresh hay into the new coop. If his king wants to feed his girls, then let him. Link doesn’t have to hover or watch. But Ganon squats down to their level and tosses out a bit of feed around him, welcoming them closer. They don’t trust him, but hunger rules in their little heads, so they peck with great suspicion. But Ganon never reaches for them, never makes a movement too grand that startles them. Link pauses in the shade of the hay shed and watches as the cuccos wander closer and closer. They cock their heads while eyeballing Ganon and his big hands. There’s feed there, they know it, but can they trust him? Ganon’s hand barely flinches when the first hen pecks at the food he offers her. Not all are brave enough to join her, but a few more do. It must be what Ganon had wanted all along, because when Link finally looks away from his girls, he finds a little smile on Ganon’s face. Ganon catches him watching at that moment and lifts his own gaze to capture Link’s. Link just blushes, turns on his heel, and returns to his duty. His cuccos need hay to build their nests and to cushion the floor of the coop. They can’t get it themselves.

Link loses track of time as he ducks into the coop with a little cart of hay trailing him. He makes trips back and forth from inside the coop to the cart in order to spread the hay around. He’d tried making nests for the cuccos in their little boxes, but he doesn’t have the right touch. By nightfall, the girls will have made new nests and sleep in their new coop for the first time. Link is certainly happy about it, won’t have to worry about the bit of termite damage in one corner that had pestered him. Link sighs happily about the change and turns a bit in the hay when the breeze drifting through the door stops. Ganon leans there, one arm above his head as he watches Link work. Link isn’t sure how long he’s had an audience. He wants to keep working, especially with his king here, but Link’s movements slow down like a watch that needs its gears rewound.

Little smile on his face, Ganon says, “Do you like it here? With the chickens?”

“Cuccos,” Link corrects quietly. He bows his head in such a way that his bangs hide some of his face.

“Cuccos, right. But do you like it here? Are you happy?”

No one has ever asked him that before. He’d never thought about it. What good would it do him?

Link shrugs and nudges some hay around on the floor.

“I’m not unhappy,” he says carefully. “The cuccos need someone.”

“You could work somewhere else, you know.”

Worry spikes in Link’s stomach like someone has stepped on him in the morning. He yanks his head up and shakes it hard enough to fling his hair around.

“N-no, no, please! I like it here, I-I do, I promise.”

Link’s outburst widens Ganon’s eyes and lifts his eyebrows. Mindful of splinters, Ganon lowers his arm without sliding it down the wood. He must duck his mighty head down to step into the coop proper. Link doesn’t back away, rooted to the coop floor in fear. The king would only ask him those questions if he thinks Link isn’t doing a good enough job, right? Does Ganon mean to move him elsewhere? Maybe out of the fortress? Link’s shoulders hunch up around his neck as Ganon draws closer. There’s nowhere to run, the only exit to the coop behind Ganon, so Link doesn’t bother cowering. Ganon doesn’t touch him at first, just occupies the same, stuffy space. Link wants to wipe sweat off his forehead. Before he gets a chance to, Ganon reaches down a little to take Link’s hand that had twitched not just a second ago.

“I didn’t mean anything bad by that,” he explains quietly. “I’m glad you like it here. I just wanted to make sure. I’m too disconnected from my people sometimes. I don’t know about all the… bullying and mistreatment that goes on so far away from my immediate circle.” Ganon pets the back of Link’s hand with his thumb. “I’m sorry for that. If there’s ever been a time when you hated it here, hated living like this.”

“At first… I did.” Link isn’t sure what possesses him to admit that. He still won’t look at Ganon and instead stares at their joined hands. “I wanted to go home. But there was-was no home to go back to. I had nowhere else.”

“I would like to know the story of how you found us, found yourself here in one of my kitchens.”

Ganon squeezes his hand and then releases it, even takes a few steps back. Link finally glances up, unsure of why Ganon withdraws from their intimate space.

“That is a story, I feel, best told at a different time. When the sun is not threatening to cook us in here.”

Link laughs a little at that and reaches up to wipe sweat off his brow. Ganon is similarly affected, although he doesn’t move to copy Link.

“Would you tell me that story? You won’t insult me by saying no.”

Link plays with his fingernails while thinking about it. No one remembers how he’d ended up here, except him. Even he doesn’t like to remember, would rather those memories fade and become brittle at the edges. Eventually, they’ll crumble to tiny pieces and blow away with the constantly shifting sand of the desert. Link sighs, decides there’s no harm in indulging his king, and nods softly. His gaze is angled at the ground, but he still catches Ganon’s soft smile grow wider.

“Wonderful. Apart from that, might you allow me another request? Again, please say no if you don’t want to.”

Lips twitching while fighting a smile, Link murmurs, “Yes?”

Ganon’s voice takes a turn, dipping lower when he asks, “Will you come to my bedchamber again? You don’t have to tell me your story tonight. Or any night, little Link. But I’d like to hold you again and wake with you beside me.”

If Link hadn’t had his gaze pinned on Ganon’s sandals in the hay, he might think his king stepped close again and held him while saying that. It’s certainly hot enough in the coop for Ganon’s star-like body heat to roll over him in a wave. But no, his king keeps his distance. His voice is just powerful enough, smooth enough to make Link shiver in the heat. It would almost be better if Ganon were touching him. At least Link could excuse the shiver, the subtle jump in his skin and heart. Ganon stands patiently, silently waiting. If Link holds his tongue long enough, Ganon might take his silence wrong and withdraw. That's not what Link wants. That night where they'd held each other… Link doesn't allow himself to fantasize about the king. Just… some faceless man who is Ganon’s size… has Ganon’s hands and smirking mouth… Link hides his face in his hands as his composure finally crumbles. He's powerless in the face of Ganon’s obvious desire for him. Link just wishes he could wrap his head around  _ why _ Ganon wants him. Without an answer to his question though, Link nods in the tight confines of his hands. Ganon’s deep hum, satisfied with his response, vibrates against Link’s hands.

“Please make yourself comfortable if you arrive before I do. Take a bath, sleep if you want. I'll see you tonight.”

Link doesn't drop his hands until Ganon leaves and restores the flow of air through the door. Link’s face is a blushing, sweaty mess after that, and he worries his face will never return to its normal color. Sewn into the bends and dips of Ganon’s deep voice had been a promise. It’s only later, as Link breaks for a meal, does he recall Ganon telling him “next time” and “not tonight” during their last time together. He drops his spoon in his soup at the memory of that purr and again has to hold his head in his hands.

Why does the king want him so? What does Ganon see in him?! Ganon has called him beautiful, sweet, and lovely. Link looks down at the dirty material of his pants and cannot find anything beautiful, sweet, or lovely about himself. The king wouldn't lie... would he? Link carries a frown around the rest of the day as he puzzles it out. He puzzles and puzzles some more right up until he stops outside Ganon’s bedchamber door that night. It’s still too warm out just after sundown, and Link wipes sweat from his forehead. His hand hesitates over the iron handle of the door. Not out of fear of his king but…

“Oh, you’re here.”

Link yanks his hand away and nearly jumps out of his skin. He can’t twist around fast enough on the sandstone floor to face Ganon. He’d paused in the shadows of the hallway leading past his bedchamber. He smiles in the dark, tired with dust on his face, and steps into the torchlight illuminating Link. Down the hall, cutouts in the wall allow for the night to seep in. Stuffy air rolls sluggishly down the hall and plays with Link’s hair. He reaches up with a nervous, shaking hand to scoop the strands behind his ear. Ganon’s soft smile remains, and Link’s heart bounces around his ribcage. Face heating up, Link returns that smile and tangles his fingers in the hem of his work top. He does it to stop fidgeting. Link isn’t sure where to look, overcome with wanting to watch the way the torchlight sparkles in Ganon’s eyes and the sweat on his brow. So, he forces his gaze down and watches his king’s sandaled feet step closer. A thick finger under his chin tilts Link’s head right back up.

“Hello,” Ganon says lowly, voice full of promise. His index finger remains tucked under Link’s chin, so his thumb has an easy time petting the little space under Link’s lower lip. “Are you well, little Link?”

Shivering, Link nods and only lets out a breath when Ganon drops his hand.

Ganon glances to the firmly shut door behind Link before sliding his heavy gaze right back to Link’s pretty face. Link’s hesitation hadn’t escaped his notice. Link wonders just how long Ganon had stood there, watching him shuffle like an idiot at the door.

“Were you about to go inside?”

Link hums and nods his head, unable to coordinate his words well enough to speak. He had, truly. His heart and mind war with each other over this situation, though. His king is beautiful and lovely, so kind and gentle with his massive hands. Link still can’t understand what Ganon sees in him, why Ganon wants him so. He’s struggled with it all day, all week to be honest. Link swallows hard and tries to divert his gaze again. Instead of guiding Link back up, Ganon comes down and gently touches a knee to the sandstone floor. That puts him closer to Link’s level, and Link blinks at him with wide, pretty eyes. Ganon chuckles a bit under his breath before reaching up to hold Link by his upper arms. All the peach fuzz on Link comes alive under that touch, skin arching up to try and meet Ganon’s warm hands.

“You looked like you didn’t want to. Like you were scared.”

Link shakes his head hard enough to toss his hair around. That gets another warm chuckle out of Ganon. Link bites his lip, ignoring Ganon’s request for him not to, and tugs gently on the front of Ganon’s shirt.

“N-no, I… I’m not scared of you, my king. I promise.”

“No?”

Link shakes his head and bites his lip harder. Ganon hums at him, ducks down, and kisses the corner of his mouth. Link releases his lip in a little gasp, a little gasp that’s smothered by Ganon’s lips on his. Link’s fingers twist tighter in Ganon’s shirt as Ganon pulls him closer, warm hand cradling the small of his back. Kissing his king is too new for Link to remember these lips, the way they slot against his and how much pressure Ganon applies. Oh, but it’s soft, and it’s sweet, and Link clings to Ganon’s dusty clothes as they exchange chaste kisses. When they part, Ganon sighing and Link breathing a little harder, Link bows his head. He doesn't want to avoid his king’s gaze, but it's too much for him right now. Instead, Link stares at his fingers twisted in the front of Ganon’s shirt. It's a bit stiff from sweat and dust.

“Sorry,” Link apologizes, although he's not entirely sure for what.

Ganon’s hum tickles across Link’s long ear just before he murmurs back, “Don't be. You've done nothing wrong.” Ganon rubs up and down the gritty skin of Link’s bare arms. “If you want to be here, then you do. I'll gladly have you.”

Link bites the inside of his cheek while glancing at Ganon through his bangs. There's no way his king hadn't meant that in another way…

“Oh?”

A chuckle shakes Ganon’s shoulders as he says, “Yes. I'll have you any way you'd give yourself to me. I won't do anything you don't want me to. I hope you know that.”

“Of-of course! You would never…” Link glances at the door and blushes to think what liberties he'd allow his king. “Can we go inside?

Ganon rises back to his full height and nudges one door to his bedchamber open. Link shoots him a little smile before stepping in. It's dark inside for only a second before flames burst into life on the torches. Link jumps in his skin and skitters forward when Ganon’s warmth blooms behind him. He makes room and spins around on the ball of his sandal to face his king. Ganon pulls the door shut and looks Link up and down while still twisted at the hip. Link takes a few more steps back, not sure what to do. He stands there, frozen to the sandstone floor, as Ganon wanders towards one of the simple pieces of furniture along the wall. It's where he'd rid himself of his jewelry that first night. He turns back around to face Link, smile twisting a bit at the corners like he's amused by all this. Should… should he step forward and offer to undress Ganon? What should he do?

Before Link gathers enough courage to act, Ganon does for him. Ganon shrugs and begins to pick at the jewelry on his body, the ties at his light armor and clothes. Ganon’s chest is bare to the room before Link startles hard and turns right back around. The deep rumble of Ganon’s laugh brings a smile to Link’s face and helps soothe some of his embarrassment. Their closeness and the intimate nature of their closeness makes him blush at the thought of nudity. It's a ridiculous thing, considering his first time here they'd both been completely naked the entire time. Link’s cheeks puff up as he fights away his blush and nerves.

Link tosses a tiny, shy look over his shoulder as Ganon stretches and asks, “I think a hot bath is in order. Join me?”

Resisting the urge to ogle his king, Link keeps his eyes on Ganon’s chin when he turns back around.

“Together?”

“I would like that, yes.” Ganon scratches a huge hand through his hair, already taken down from his intricate ornaments and crown. “Of course, if you’re uncomfortable or want to be alone—”

“No!” Link flings his hands out, palms facing Ganon, and shakes them to stop his king. “It’s not that. I um…” Link drops his hands to his navel and twists his little fingers together. “I’d… like that. I promise I won’t get in the way.”

Ganon chuckles warmly and closes the distance between them with barely two steps. Link stares in the middle of Ganon’s chest, at the plume of red hair, rather than dip his gaze lower. A huge hand lifts slowly to cup the side of Link’s head. How Link had forgotten that his skull fits comfortable in Ganon’s palm, he doesn’t know. But with them standing this close and Ganon holding him so gently, Link finally picks his head up and gives the king the eye contact he’d wanted. Ganon is ready for him with a little smile.

“That bath is large enough for myself and five others closer to your size. There’s plenty of space. Besides…” Ganon grins at him, dips low, and sweeps Link off his feet. After Link yelps, Ganon chuckles into his hair and adds, “I said I wanted to hold you tonight. I want to start that right now.”

Blushing fiercely, Link throws his arms around Ganon’s neck to hold on. His king’s show of strength, picking him up like a sack of potatoes, stirs something in Link’s gut. He hesitates to call it arousal, but that’s definitely what it is. He hides his face in Ganon’s shoulder, bare, black skin absorbing his little whine. Ganon tosses his head back and laughs to the ceiling. The world shifts around Link as Ganon carries him to the bath. Link’s ear twitches when lips descend on it to kiss him. Ganon chuckles down at him when he wiggles away, trying to protect his sensitive ear.

Despite Link’s wiggling and whines, the trickle of water and the slosh of it as Ganon steps into the sunken bath tickles his ear. Link jumps in Ganon’s arms when Ganon tilts him. He aims Link’s little, dirty feet for the floor. Link stands under his own power with a bit of reluctance, but he’d rather Ganon not soak his clothes. The warm, churning water bestows some modesty on his king, although Link knows well what lies hidden in said water. Ganon waggles thick eyebrows at him and tugs gently at the hem of Link’s shirt.

“If you please, my little treasure. Join me?”

Link fights the urge to turn around when he undresses. But Ganon has seen his everything, held him and touched him like no other. This is perhaps the safest place in the whole world for Link to be. His natural timidness rears its head, though, and Link bows his head as he bares himself. He doesn’t dawdle, doesn’t delay. To do that might give his king the idea that he doesn’t want this. Link swallows hard once he’s naked and forces his arms to his sides. He wants to hold himself, but what good would that do? Link shivers in the steam wafting up from the bath and shuffles back to the edge. Water sloshes as Ganon also approaches the edge. He holds a hand out to Link and offers a smile on his tired face, waiting. Link takes that hand with more courage than he’d thought possible. His fingers don’t even tremble as they grip Ganon’s skin, and he steps into the water without a stumble or fall. The water welcomes him like a lover, pulling him into the warm depths. Ganon is by his side and pets his cheek with wet fingers. Some dirt mixes with the water and falls down Link’s pale skin like muddy tears.

“Can I wash you?” Ganon’s deep voice rumbles off the water and walls of the bath chamber.

Staring where the water laps at Ganon’s chest hair, Link nods. He doesn’t trust his voice right now. It would surely break or squeak if he tried. He wants to object, to offer  **his** services to Ganon. It really should be the other way around, just like their first night together. But as Ganon scoops him up by the hips and has Link straddle his lap in the water, Link knows Ganon’s mind is set. His king is… adorably stubborn in that way. Link swallows hard and squeezes the shelf of Ganon’s shoulders where he holds on. There are so many unknown, undiscovered facets of his king. Ganon’s thoughtful silences, how he defers choice to Link… Soapy, warm hands caressing his back startle Link out of his thoughts. He jumps in Ganon’s lap and sends a wave splashing over the edge of the sunken pool. Ganon holds him still and cranes his head forward to kiss Link’s cheek as comfort.

“Okay? I thought I saw you nod.”

Link nods again and leans forward until he’s slumped against Ganon’s chest. It had seemed like a good idea at the time, but now their chests and bellies slide together. Link blushes hotly in the crook of Ganon’s neck and shivers under his hands. What a mistake this all is. A terrible, wonderful mistake, one Link would not undo or take back. Ganon hums and smiles against his ear while drawing woodsy-smelling soap over the wings of Link’s shoulders. One hand flattens between those blades while the other drags soap up to the back of Link’s neck. Thick fingers squeeze the tense muscles there, and Link whines in his hiding place. Ganon’s hand is wide enough to encircle half his neck. Ganon could easily choke him like this, but Link knows that’s a ridiculous, paranoid thought. Still, it’s something that springs into his mind as Ganon tries to relax him with firm squeezes. Link unwinds slowly, but is quick to tense up again when Ganon moves on to a new area to clean.

A gentle sigh from Ganon’s mouth tickles Link’s ear just before he murmurs, “You’re very tense, my little one. I won’t touch you if you don’t want me to.”

Water sloshes around them as Link jumps and shakes his head.

“It’s not you, my king, I promise. I am… unused to this.” Link’s arms around Ganon’s neck tighten as he hides deeper. “You won’t hurt me.”

“Never.” Ganon’s hands slip down Link’s back, dip into the water to wash off the soap, and then softly squeeze his hips. “Will you sit up, please? I want to wash your face, now.”

Link complies, although he bows his head and refuses to meet Ganon’s gentle gaze. Ganon doesn’t make a fuss about it, only brings his palms full of water to Link’s face to wet the skin. Washing the dust and dirt off Link’s face passes in silence. When it’s time to rinse, rather than bother Ganon about it, Link squirms out of his lap, dunks himself, and then pops back up completely soaked. They reach for each other at the same time. Link doesn’t make a sound as Ganon pulls him back and re-situates him in his lap. Ganon offers him a smile and a kiss to Link’s forehead before tangling soapy hands in Link’s hair.

Link does make little noises at that. Link’s heart sticks in his throat as Ganon dives his fingers through blond hair, rubs Link’s scalp. Ganon’s smile as Link bobs his head to the motion misses the little Hylian completely. His eyes had fluttered shut at the first brush of fingers at his scalp. All traces of Link’s nerves and apprehension evaporate in Ganon’s hands. Link actually tilts back at one point and would have flopped right into the water if not for his king’s support. Ganon holds Link close and touches their foreheads together, waiting for Link to open his eyes again. Link does so after sucking in a deep breath, trying to control how his blood rushes around under his skin.

Bumping their noses, Ganon murmurs, “Should I continue?”

All that’s left of him to clean is his chest, his legs… between his legs. Link blushes in Ganon’s hands and nods. It’s a tiny nod so as to not bash their foreheads or noses together. Ganon smiles in their close quarters, kisses Link’s cheek, and then urges him back. Another quick rinse has Link soaked and free of soap once more. Link wobbles on his legs as Ganon guides him to stand up. That brings his king’s head level with his genitals, cock blessedly soft somehow. Not for long, probably. Link trembles in the steamy air, legs shaking too. Ganon takes both of Link’s wrists in hand and guides them to his shoulders. Link has to shuffle between Ganon’s spread legs to do that, but he might fall if not for Ganon’s body. More steam floats into Link’s face and adds to the heat already pooled there by his blush. Ganon holds him steady with a hand on his hip. The other rolls a bar of soap in his palm and reaches for Link’s belly once it’s covered in bubbles.

Link jumps in Ganon’s hands and lets out a tiny whine when soapy fingers brush over his stomach. His breathing is too loud in his ears, heartbeat too strong in his chest. His heartbeat doubles, maybe triples as Ganon chases sweat and dust from the flat planes of his chest. The poor Hylian jumps especially hard at the brief swirl of fingers over his nipples. But Ganon doesn’t mean to tease or arouse him. He doesn’t linger, which Link is silently thankful for. He’s almost steady on his feet, thinks he’ll be okay, when the rough scrape of Ganon’s palm over his prick nearly sends Link into the water. Although he doesn’t mean to, Link’s bitten nails dig right into Ganon’s shoulders as he holds on. If Ganon minds, he makes no mention of it. In fact, the bathing chamber fills up with a song as Ganon hums deep in his chest. Link’s ears buzz with the rush of blood, so he doesn’t hear it. He’s too focused on the slip and slide of Ganon’s hand around him anyway. He has to cling harder to Ganon’s wide shoulders when his other hand, freshly covered in soap, grabs one of his cheeks and squeezes.

“Mmm, m-my king, please…”

Ganon rinses off the hand he’d used to clean Link’s cock and scoops up water to chase suds off his stomach. Link stands shivering and moaning with the tips of Ganon’s fingers teasing the curve of his ass. And once his stomach is free of soap, he shivers at the brush of lips and facial hair above his navel. Link’s chest caves in, and he bends over Ganon’s head as he trembles. Link’s choked gasp at the brush of fingers between his cheeks tears through Ganon’s hum. Ganon pauses at that moment, hum dwindling to nothing. Link just pants above him for a few seconds, confused about his king’s hesitation. Link shivers and nearly cowers in Ganon’s hands, thinking he’s done something wrong. But Ganon sighs and kisses around his navel before tilting his head back to catch Link’s eyes.

“Is this all right?” Ganon’s fingers give the slightest twitch between his cheeks. Link jumps in his hands despite how good that feels. “You said last time that no one has ever touched you. I won’t, unless you say so.”

Shoulders in his ears, Link squeezes his eyes shut and nods.

Ganon kisses him again.

“Are you sure? I don’t want to scare you.”

“I-I’m not scared.” Link shakes like a dried out shrub in a sandstorm. But he is not afraid. “Nervous, but… I’m not afraid of you. You would never hurt me.”

“No,” Ganon nearly groans, noise trailing off as he returns to kissing Link’s skin. He bites the pale skin and blond hair on Link’s belly before he collects himself enough to speak. “Thank you, my little treasure. Such bravery deserves a reward, I think. Won’t you sit again?”

Link nods with his head caught in a fog. He’s dizzy from the steam, but also Ganon’s lavish attention on him. Like last time, guilt and shame try to rain on his parade. He really should be washing Ganon, really should offer his body to his king. But as Ganon pulls him back down, he pecks little kisses all over Link’s face until Link smiles again. Their lips meeting washes away all that pesky shame, all the negativity, until Link falls into his king once more. Breathing hard and occasionally hiccupping, Link throws his arms around Ganon’s neck and sits up on his knees.

The water still covers them, is still as warm and cloudy with minerals as when they’d stepped into it. Link is thankful for all that as Ganon wraps an arm around him and fondles his rear with his free hand. He won’t have to hear the slick sound of fingers thrusting between his cheeks or his king diving inside. He’s barely touched himself in that way, not having the time or access to a bath for such things. Link hides his little noises in Ganon’s neck while fingers pet at his entrance once more.

“Tell me to stop, and I will. Immediately,” Ganon assures him.

“O-okay.” Link shivers hard and squeezes out all the space between their chests. “Be gentle.”

Lips kiss his ear and nuzzle the cartilage as Ganon murmurs, “Always. Anything for you, my sweet.”

Ganon’s neck is the perfect place to muffle Link’s little gasps and whines. He’s sure that Ganon hears them anyway. His short ear twitches sometimes, but Link can’t pay much attention to that. All his focus zeroes in on the electric tingle of Ganon’s fingers tracing maddening circles around his entrance. He’d thought Ganon would just… dive right into him. It can’t hurt that much, can it? When Ganon gives him just a taste, curls his fingers until the pressure almost allows him inside, Link then knows better. It stings a bit, and he flinches away. It’s too much, and Ganon doesn’t try again. Link relaxes instantly, releases a breath he’d held on accident, and sags against Ganon once more. Ganon’s pleased hum tickles Link’s neck just before lips suck and teeth bite the skin. That has Link squirming again, grinding himself on Ganon’s fingers. He blushes and thinks that’s not the right thing to do, but Ganon groans into his neck, so Link doesn’t stop.

The water sloshing around them laps away any sweat that beads up on them. The bathing chamber hasn’t lost any of its heat or steam, and Link is sure they’re soaked with sweat. It doesn’t matter so long as they stay here. Link disturbs the water with every flinch, every jerk of his hips. Ganon’s teeth at his neck rouse their fair share of Link’s moans and shivers, though. Link will see the labor of Ganon’s love painted in purples and maroons in his neck once they leave the bath. For now, each new mark buzzes and leaves Link’s head spinning. It’s not enough to make him orgasm, even if his poor cock is trapped between them. And Ganon hasn’t tried to push inside him again, so Link thinks he probably won’t. It’s the only thought his drunken mind has besides “so good” and “more please.” The poor boy barely knows what “more” entails, but he trusts his king. Ganon must have “more” in store for them, because after one last, teasing press on his hole, Ganon’s fingers drop away. A quick flick of his wrist works out the tightness in it from holding Link so long, and then both hands squeeze Link’s shaking hips.

“Are you well, little one?”

Squirming in the water, Link nods with his face still on fire.

“I’ll wash quickly, and then we can retire for the night.” Ganon kisses the side of Link’s head before nudging him away. “I won’t be long.”

If Ganon means that as an offer for Link to leave the bath and wait for him, Link doesn’t take it. He gives his king his space in order to wash himself. But he remains near Ganon’s side. Link dunks himself to make sure his hair is free from soap. The water is too cloudy to see anything, not that he tries. When he rises again, Ganon watches him with sparkling eyes while tending to his chest and stomach. Link diverts his eyes at first, sure that Ganon wouldn’t appreciate such open staring. The gentle caress of Ganon’s curled fingers on his cheek tells Link otherwise, though.

Hair dripping and sticking to his cheeks, Link scoops some strands out of his eyes to better see his king. The softness of his king’s stomach betrays his strength, his fierceness in competitions. Any who might see him in simple armor might mistake him for a weakling. But the muscles of his arms and the power in his thighs cannot be dismissed. Link has witnessed first hand his king’s strength. That strength excites him, and Link hopes Ganon shows him some of it like he had their first night together. He remembers fondly Ganon picking him up like he was nothing, holding him down like a rock might to a piece of paper. Link shivers and holds himself while watching Ganon watch him.

Ganon’s eyebrows waggle at him just before the man goes under to rinse his hair and face. All that red hair sticks to him like a silk curtain when he springs back up. He has to part it like a curtain, too, and shoots Link a toothy grin. Link covers his mouth as a laugh bubbles out of him. He doesn’t attempt to escape when Ganon trudges through the water and snatches him up in an embrace. Water spills over the edge of the pool as Ganon picks Link up and holds him flush to his chest. Link’s knees hug either side of Ganon’s torso, and his arms loop around Ganon’s neck. How he doesn’t slip right out of Ganon’s arms, the little Hylian isn’t sure. They’re still dripping wet from the bath. He doesn’t spare much thought to it as Ganon cranes his head forward for a kiss. The hum that squeaks out of Link as he meets Ganon halfway is happy. The growl of his stomach is rather intruding.

Ganon blinks at him when the kiss ends, puzzled and unsure if he’d actually heard that. Link stares at him too, also not sure. But his little stomach grumbles again, proof they’d heard it the first time. Ganon’s puzzled expression softens, and he carefully darts forward to kiss Link’s cheek. It’s warm under his lips, although Link cannot tell if it’s from leftover arousal or shame. He’d had a… meager lunch today. It’s the same amount of food he always eats. Of course his body had to pick now of all times to embarrass him. Link almost wants to squirm and slip out of his king’s arms, but he doubts Ganon would let him go. Ganon smiles at him, even softer than before, and lifts them out of the sunken pool. Once on level, solid ground, he sets Link down on his feet and drapes a towel around his shoulders. He grabs another to gently squeeze water out of Link’s hair. As he goes about helping Link dry, his soft smile remains.

“Are you hungry?”

Link clutches the ends of the towel around his shoulders to keep it shut. He doesn’t want Ganon to see him shiver.

“N-no, my king, I’m fine. I’ve already eaten.”

His stomach protests that and growls again. This time, it almost hurts.

Ganon snorts above him and asks again, “I didn’t ask if you’d eaten. I asked if you were hungry. Are you?”

Link leaves one hand to wrangle his towel shut while the other drops to hold himself around his stomach. He shouldn’t eat. He’s allowed three meals a day, and he’s had them. It’s not much food, but to take more would be selfish. Ganon deems Link’s hair dry enough and goes about trying to sap water from his own hair. Link uses the curtain of his messy locks to hide from his king’s eyes. He doesn’t want to burden his king. Ganon doesn’t need to feed him. It might upset his thoughtful king to know that he often goes hungry, often wishes there were more to go around. But this is better than nothing, better than when he’d been stuck with… Well, before his life in the fortress.

Link’s resolve to deny his king crumbles a bit when Ganon lifts a comb and gently tidies Link’s tangled locks. They slip through the teeth of the comb just as easily as last time. When that’s squared away, Ganon abandons the comb nearby and holds Link’s face with both hands. He only needs one, in reality, but both make the moment more intimate, and Link blushes once more between Ganon’s palms. Will there ever come a time when his face isn’t pink around his king?

“I feel that it’s in bad taste to push a topic when someone is so obviously uncomfortable with it,” Ganon murmurs vaguely. His thumbs pet under Link’s eyes, and Link finally looks up at him. “But you must be hungry. Eat with me? Please?”

He cannot deny his king anything, even with shame twisting his gut. Link presses his lips into a thin line in order to disguise the way the lower one trembles a bit. He nods in Ganon’s hands and accepts a soft kiss to his forehead. Ganon removes his hands long enough to whip a towel around his own body before he scoops Link up again and carries him away. Link’s subdued attitude, how he neither yelps nor squirms, doesn’t go unnoticed. Ganon nuzzles Link’s drying hair and holds Link in his lap when he sits on the edge of his bed. Link sits without a fuss or sound, despite their intimate embrace. Normally, without clothes between them, Link would certainly hide his blush and cling to Ganon as their skin connects all along Link’s thighs and bottom. Link does hide his face, but it’s out of disappointment in himself. Ganon will not think less of him for eating, Link knows, but… Why should he eat when others go hungry? Just because he’s pretty and has their king’s favor? That’s the thought that circles in Link’s mind when Ganon tips his head up with a finger caressing his jaw.

“My little treasure,” Ganon sighs. He stoops down to kiss Link’s forehead again, nudging hair aside with his nose. “Please, talk to me. Why have I upset you so?”

Link holds on to Ganon’s wrist with both hands, just to feel him, and begs, “No, no, it’s not you, my king. It’s just… Well, I shouldn’t eat. I’ve had my meals for the day. I shouldn’t.”

Ganon’s hum tickles Link’s ear where it’s pressed to the crook of Ganon’s arm.

“That aside, clearly your meals are not enough. Are you often hungry? Is more food unavailable to you?”

Link shrinks down at that and murmurs, “Not allowed. Kitchen thieves are punished.”

“And who has made such a rule?” A chilly edge to Ganon’s voice has Link huddling deeper into his arms. “Your forewoman? The other servants who work with you?”

Link shakes his head and jumps to their defense.

“No, not Granny, she would never hurt us. It’s just something I… something I was told when assigned to the kitchens. I have nowhere, um, nowhere else to go if I break the rules. No one tries to sneak more food.”

Ganon sighs against Link and holds him tightly with his other arm slung around Link’s waist. They sit for a moment, Ganon just holding him and petting Link’s cheek with his thumb. It’s a lazy, mindless sort of thing, but Link doesn’t want him to stop. Link curls his legs up on Ganon’s thighs just to be closer to him. It’s pleasantly warm in the bedroom, sunset not that far gone, but nothing beats the radiant heat of his king. Surely Din had plucked a star from the sky and sank it inside him when she created him. Ganon skin on his is like a stone that’s baked in the sun all day and soothes any ache in him. Link closes his eyes, thinks about drifting off and away from all this hurt, when Ganon speaks again.

“I have… neglected you. All of you who serve me in some way.”

Link glances up from his little resting place against Ganon’s chest. He’s never seen the proud man so long in the face, so unhappy. And when Ganon leans close to brush his mouth and nose into Link’s hair, Link doesn’t deny him. Ganon’s words confuse him, but he can deny his king nothing.

“M-my king, you’ve done nothing wrong,” Link says softly, unsure of what to do. Now they’re both upset. “It’s not your fault.”

“Mmm, but it is, sweet Link. You are all in my care. I’m nothing without my people, and yet here you are, going hungry, going without. There is plenty within the fortress.” Ganon sighs again and holds Link tighter than ever to him. “I’ve failed you. You have my deepest regret, Link. I hope you can forgive me, and I will make this right.”

Link wiggles in Ganon’s arms and protests with, “But it’s not your fault! My life here is-is better than it was. I’m happy here. There is… nothing to forgive. You didn’t do anything, my king.”

Ganon gifts him with a kiss to his cheek and a softly spoken, “I’ve done nothing, you are correct. I’ve allowed people to abuse you and others in your position. You say that this life is better than what you had, but it could be better still. I am too disconnected from my people, Link. What else goes on that I don’t know about? Do others beat you? Harass you? What sorts of things happen behind my back?”

Desperate to lighten the mood, Link nuzzles his bare cheek against the facial hair along Ganon’s jaw. Link sits up enough to return Ganon’s kisses to his face and hair. Ganon sighs at his attempt of comfort and snags Link in a few real kisses instead. Link squeaks at that and would have fallen out of Ganon’s lap if not for the thick arms around him. Link throws propriety to the wind and straddles his king’s thighs while giving him the kisses he so obviously wants. Ganon’s hands are warm on his back, and they chase the slight chill in Link’s skin as they rub up and down. Link berates himself for dragging Ganon down with him even as he bobs his head along to their kisses. He hadn’t meant to upset Ganon, too. And he holds fast to his belief that none of this is Ganon’s fault. Nothing he says will change his king’s mind, though, Link knows that much. When they separate, Ganon keeps Link’s head close with a hand on the back of his neck. It’s not necessary, because Link hadn’t planned on sitting down again. So there’s no resistance, no twitch of muscle under Ganon’s hand as he holds Link still.

“I hope you can forgive me, Link,” Ganon nearly murmurs against his lips. “I will make this right. You and your barrack-mates will never go hungry or without again. I promise.”

“N-not just us, my king,” Link begs. He almost bites his lip, but stops at the last second. “If you truly believe that things could be better… please, check on everyone. It’s not fair to just um, just make things nicer for me and those around me. Please.”

The tips of their noses brush a few times as Ganon nuzzles him.

“Anything, my treasure. Anything for you.” It comes out as a sigh, but Ganon means it with all his heart. “I’m sorry, Link. I truly am.”

Link darts forward to kiss the corner of Ganon’s frown before saying, “I forgive you. I don’t blame you a-at all, my king. But I forgive you all the same. I’m happy here! I really mean that. You are um… you’re very kind and… good…”

Ganon chuckles at Link’s loss for words. Hands cupping Link’s hips, Ganon lifts him up and lays him back down on the bed. For good measure, he flicks the edge of the blanket over Link before rising to his feet. Link watches with the blanket pulled up to his chest, as if he has anything to be shy about. He watches in the torchlight of the bedchamber as Ganon snatches a robe from the chair at his desk and bestows some modesty to his body. Link of course instantly dislikes such a thing, but he recalls that Ganon had offered him food. He must be leaving to request it or maybe gather things himself. Link sits up to try and join his king, but Ganon steps back to the bed and holds Link’s jaw in his hand. Link tips his head up, ready to give anything to his king. Ganon watches him for a few seconds, edges of his lips twitching up.

“I’ll return shortly. It would make me happy if you ate your fill, but I can’t force you to. I only ask if you eat meat, since you may abstain given your duty in the kitchen.”

Link gives a tiny nod. He doesn’t enjoy eating cucco meat, but it’s easier than horse. Horses remind him of his life before the fortress. Of home. It still hurts to think about all that, despite the years between now and then. Before Ganon picks up on his melancholy, Link gives him a weak smile and kisses the heel of his palm. Perhaps Ganon will mistake his sadness for something else, maybe sadness at their brief separation. Either way, Ganon makes no comment on Link’s somber expression and closes the large door behind him when he slips out. Link draws in a shaky breath only when he’s sure Ganon won’t reappear instantly. He won’t cry here, won’t cry over what he’s lost. Crying had never done him any good when he first arrived, and it won’t do him any good now. Instead, Link curls up where Ganon had left him and draws the heavy blanket around his naked body. He waits for Ganon’s return like that, blinking into the dim light rather than closing his eyes and remembering.

Ganon makes good on his promise of a swift return. He re-enters the bedchamber alone, although not empty handed. Link has since tucked his melancholy away like he used to do on a daily basis years ago. So when he sits up at Ganon’s return, his smile is soft and shy, exactly the smile he normally offers the king. Nothing is amiss. Nothing he’s ready to divulge, anyway. Link hops deeper into the bed while Ganon discards his robe and sets a plate down on the bed. He steadies it with a hand while also joining Link farther up the mattress. Link thinks to keep himself covered, but if Ganon is bare, than he should be, too. If Ganon’s pleased hum is because of Link’s nakedness or something else, Link can’t be sure. He keeps his head bowed until the mattress dips beside him. Once Ganon’s warmth blooms at his side, Link leans close enough for Ganon to pet him, kiss him, whatever he wants. He wouldn’t mind a bit of tenderness right now. The lips that peck briefly at his cheek hold a smile in them, and Link turns his head fast enough to return that peck.

“Are you comfortable? Warm?”

Link’s hair bounces a little as he nods and hops closer to Ganon. His king lies on his side, feet hanging off the edge of the bed and crossed at the ankles. They lounge more in the middle of the bed rather than up by the headboard. Link keeps his gaze around Ganon’s face and hair despite the two feasts before him. Ganon nods to the food he’d brought back, deferring choice to Link. He’d returned with filling options, but not exactly a meal. Cured meats and hard cheese, bread from dinner that might be a little crunchy on the outside. Link’s stomach flips to think maybe Ganon had brought horse. But the first bite reveals pork instead, and Link instantly relaxes beside him. He nibbles until meat and cheese pinched between bread is gone. Link manages two more of everything before he turns a wandering eye on his king.

Ganon lies there with his chin in his hand, other hand outstretched towards the plate. Only he hadn’t made it far enough before his eyes slipped shut. He’s not asleep, but a few more moments with his eyes closed and he might nod off. Link smiles into his next bite of food. He should leave his poor king alone, let him sleep. Link can clean up all this. Link’s legs barely wobble at all when he wiggles to the edge of the bed and stands. The plate with their uneaten food finds a resting place on a side table in the corner. Everything will probably keep fine while they sleep, and if not, then the pigs currently sleeping somewhere outside will enjoy it tomorrow. Link dusts crumbs off himself, tries to pick them off the bed as best he can, and then crawls back in. He stretches out beside Ganon with his arms curled up between them. It’s plenty warm with Ganon beside him, so Link doesn’t bother with the blanket. Such a thing allows the graze of Ganon’s hand over Link’s thigh to rip a startled jump out of Link. The poor boy throws a wide glance up through his bangs at one, gold eye cracked open.

“Mmm, hello, you pretty thing, you.”

Ganon’s words slip and slur through his mouth, but Link hears them in the quiet bedchamber. Link welcomes himself to Ganon’s body and rests a hand on his chest. Ganon hums at that and pulls Link closer by his thigh. The plume of scents from the soaps they’d used to wash envelop Link in a cloud. Pressure like a coming storm builds up between them like last time, when Ganon had plopped him in the middle of the bed and pet him. But this time, his king can barely keep his eyes open. Link licks his lips a few times, stomach flipping like a coin, and wiggles closer to Ganon. He wouldn’t mind a little… well, whatever his king wants. Link wishes he were friends with someone in Ganon’s harem. Maybe they could teach him what to say, what to do, the signs to look for that Ganon wants him. There’s an obvious sign, but Link won’t look down or nudge his thigh closer. That’s too much.

“M-my king? Um… Ganon?”

Ganon’s next exhale is long and loud. The gust of air plays with Link’s bangs, and Link hides a smile behind one of his hands. The other pets over fluffy, clean hair on Ganon’s chest. He doesn’t know why that feels good, why touching Ganon seems so right. But so long as Ganon doesn’t push his hand away, he’ll keep doing it. All Ganon does is crack an eye open and lift one corner of his mouth. Link gapes at him a few times and tries to not duck down like he wants to. Ganon’s attention so fully on him is too much. Well, when he’s in Ganon’s lap or they’re kissing, it’s different. He has the brush of skin to focus on, the coordination of their lips and tongues to keep track of. Right now, in the hushed quiet of night and his king’s bedchamber, it’s too much.

Swallowing hard before nerves steal his voice, Link stutters out, “Would, um… would you like me to do any-anything for you?”

Ganon’s eye slips shut, but the half-smile on his face curls into a full one.

“Mmm, anything, you say? I’m actually quite tired, my sweet Link. I would like you to stay and sleep beside me.”

Link nods despite Ganon’s closed eye and adds, “Oh yes, of course, but um… anything else?”

There’s a little laugh in Ganon’s voice when he says, “If you want to have sex with me, Link, you only need ask.”

Before Link can sputter and excuse himself, try to roll away out of embarrassment, Ganon pulls him close and tucks Link under his chin. It’s a safe place where only Ganon’s teasing, deep voice calls up a blush on Link’s face. He doesn’t have to face his king’s handsome smile or any of his smirks.

“But only ask if you want me. Not because you think you should submit to me. You have no duties to me outside your kitchen and your coop.” Ganon pets down some of Link’s hair that had bunched up while they shifted earlier. Link melts under than hand. “I am tired, but I will touch you, if you’d like.”

Face about to burst into flames, Link flattens himself to Ganon’s chest and mumbles, “Can we… just a little? I do want you, my king.”

Ganon shifts beside him, just enough to duck down and nuzzle Link’s hair. Link makes sure to stay still so that he doesn’t send his hard skull slamming into Ganon’s nose. He’s a jumpy person by nature, but he doesn’t want to hurt his king. Never. He only moves to still Ganon’s hand that slides down his side and fondles his hip. Link doesn’t want what’d happened last time. Ganon had said it was enough, that he was satisfied. Link wants Ganon to find his release, too, even if Link blushes hotly just thinking about such a thing. Tonight won’t be the night they’re joined intimately, Link knows Ganon is too tired for that. But there must be some way they can touch that will make his king feel good, too. That belief is what makes Link squeeze Ganon’s wrist as Ganon reaches down to fondle him.

“Wait um…” Link glances up through their mountain of hair to find Ganon’s sleepy eyes. “I want you to feel good this time. Not just me.”

Ganon blinks slowly at him a few times. He considers Link’s little pout, how Link watches him with big eyes. How could anyone say no to him? Ganon draws in a deep breath and squeezes Link’s hip a few times.

“Anything you want, my treasure. Turn around. I have something in mind.”

“T-turn around?”

Ganon hums and gently nudges Link’s hip to help him. Unsure, but trusting his king, Link carefully turns around until his back is flush with Ganon’s chest. Ganon’s breath blows over his shoulder, and then lips and facial hair descend onto the skin. Ganon keeps an arm under his head for support, but the other he throws over Link’s side. His palm flattens over Link’s navel and pets him to warm him up. Link almost giggles as Ganon scratches through the hair between his legs. He’s ticklish on his stomach, and Ganon touches him so lightly, so slowly… Link shivers as Ganon shifts behind him, flattening his pelvis to Link’s rear end. Ganon has to drag himself up the mattress in order to meet Link’s shorter height. Link shivers again at the press of warm, velvety skin to his cheeks and rocks his hips back a bit. Ganon hums in his ear, definitely pleased and amused. He unwraps his arm from around Link long enough to stuff a hand under the pillows near their heads. When his hand slips out with a pretty, glass bottle, Link blinks at it with huge eyes. His body tensing up draws Ganon’s attention back to him. Ganon offers him the bottle, which Link takes, and then his king’s heavy arm returns to holding him.

“It’s oil. I leave it nearby in case I need it.” He says so with a smirk, although Link cannot see it. “But please don’t be nervous. I have no intention of taking you tonight. Whatever night that might be, I would take my time and lavish your body with attention until you were ready. Tonight is not that night.”

Link nods a little and holds the bottle up for his king. He’s… still not sure what Ganon intends to do. True, Link had held the worry that Ganon might try that tonight. It had been a silly worry, mostly because Ganon is clearly too tired for such a thing. Plus he’d backed down from Link tensing in the bath when he tried to dip inside. They both know he’s not ready for that. Still, Link thinks about them tangled together like he sees other people do in the middle of the night. He wants that, even though he barely knows what  _ that _ is. Link twists his fingers in the sheets under them as Ganon takes the bottle back and wiggles to get comfortable. Ganon has to tap Link’s left thigh—the leg he’s not lying on—a few times for Link to respond.

“Would you lift this leg, please?”

Link does so, but his thighs still touch.

“A little more, please,” Ganon says with a chuckle. His fingers cup the back of Link’s knee and guide Link where he wants him. They lift his leg much higher than Link had thought necessary. “Just like this. Hold your leg up until I get you ready.”

Link has the words ordered in his mouth, about to ask, “Ready for what?” But the cold, slick slide of Ganon wiping oil on his inner thighs scares the words out of him. They come out in a jumbled yelp instead. Ganon stills his huge hand on Link’s inner thigh, inadvertently warming the cold oil that had caused Link’s yelp.

“Oh, oh that’s… that’s so cold,” Link whimpers.

Thankfully, Ganon is still a furnace behind him, and the chill dissipates quickly.

“I’m sorry. I should have held the bottle or the oil in my hand. Does it hurt?”

Link’s hair slaps the pillow under him as he shakes his head.

“N-no, it’s just… cold. I’ll be okay.”

Ganon takes his word for it and moves on to Link’s other thigh. The oil is only a little warmer this time, but Link still jumps when Ganon rubs it into his skin. Link follows his king’s instructions, though, and keeps his left leg aloft to give Ganon room to work. The next caress of Ganon’s palm and oil has Link shaking and hiding his face. Thighs done, Ganon’s next target is Link’s cock and balls. Link chokes on his noise of distress. His king isn’t hurting him, not even a little. He just doesn’t know where Ganon is going with this. What is the point of oiling his thighs and… between his legs like this?

Link blinks in the dark and tries to control his breathing. Ganon had stirred him up with just a few strokes to his cock and rolling his balls around. But when Ganon finally lets him go and ends his teasing gropes, Link isn’t sure what to do next. He rocks the entire bed with his next jump when oddly familiar, velvety skin slides into place on his thigh. Ganon’s hand covers his where Link holds his leg up, and Ganon guides him back down until Link’s thighs touch once more. Only with his erection between them.

“Hold your thighs together as tightly as you can,” Ganon murmurs above and behind him. “I’ll go slow at first, in case you don’t like it. Okay?”

Stomach flipping a few times, Link nods in the dim light. Ganon curls up behind him and holds him close. Link reaching down to cover Ganon’s hand over his stomach is almost like a flinch. Ganon’s palm barely touches him before Link clings to the back of his hand. Link’s heart is tight and high in his throat when Ganon nuzzles his hair. He shushes Link’s little trembles and just stays still for a moment. The weight of his king’s prick between his thighs is strange and new. Alien. Link cranes his head back, trying to see what them lying together looks like.

Link’s eyes bug out of his head a little. Tucked up under his own cock, the head of his king’s prick still manages to poke out from his thighs. Link hadn’t thought his king was that well endowed. Link is small and scrawnier than other young men his age, sure, but… Link swallows hard and returns his gaze to some meaningless point in the room. Feeling Ganon between his legs is quite enough. He can’t handle watching this, too.

Ganon’s chest shifts behind Link as he draws in a deep breath. On the exhale, Ganon holds Link still while rocking his hips forward. It’s Link’s turn to suck in a breath. The warm slide, back and forth, of Ganon’s skin between his legs is unlike anything he’s felt before. The slow, long thrusts Ganon starts him with excite all the nerves under Link’s skin, sparking electricity where it’s never sparked before. Just like Ganon teasing his nipples that first night, Link hadn’t known this part of him could be sensitive. The bed shifts under them, frame groaning a bit, but Link doesn’t feel or hear that. All his focus narrows down to the slippery glide of hot skin between his thighs. He only has Ganon’s hand to cling to, and he does so with his body already shaking.

Behind him, Ganon’s breath is warm as it plays with his hair. It grows faster as he moves harder against Link, snaps his hips like they’re joined together. Link has seen what two people do together, and he wonders what that would feel like inside him. Link buries a groan in the blanket bunched up by his mouth and tries to squeeze Ganon harder. It must be the right thing to do, because Ganon returns Link’s groan and picks up speed. Each thrust sends Ganon’s prick rutting past Link’s balls and erection, exciting him more. It’s not enough to make him come, just enough to make him hard.

Link shivers under Ganon’s arm and releases his hand to touch himself. Ganon groans louder into Link’s hair when he does so. Link takes that as a sign that he’s done well. Link doesn’t try to establish any sort of rhythm with or against Ganon’s thrusts. It’s like he’s a teenager all over again, just fisting a hand over himself and stroking without finesse or technique. It doesn’t matter with Ganon’s hot flesh pounding away against him and the sting of teeth at his ear. Ganon probably has to bend his back at a painful angle to do so, but Link enjoys the attention.

“M-my king, oh please,” Link whimpers softly. He hopes Ganon hears him over his loud panting. Link doesn’t know what to say other than this. “Please, please… Ganon…”

Hot breath blowing over his ear calls up a shiver in Link. It rakes up his spine like nails before those phantom fingers twist in his hair. Every little bit of peach fuzz on Link lights up. He shivers and clamps his thighs harder together, wanting Ganon to feel as good as he does. The bellowed moan in his ear is the most beautiful sound Link has ever heard. His king is a lion indeed, and Link shivers as if a pride of them has cornered him deep in the night. Ganon’s hand at his hip will probably leave a bruise much like the jaws of a lion would tear him to shreds. Link doesn’t care.

Ganon’s warmth and skin along with Link’s attention to himself push him nearer to the edge. The poor boy can’t even belt out a shout to match Ganon’s low moan when he comes. Link’s orgasm sneaks up on him, and he releases his cock like it burns him in order to cling to Ganon’s arm. Link’s chest bows forward as he comes, allowing cool air to rush between him and Ganon. Everything tingles from his head all the way to his toes that curl in the sheets. His hips jerk with every spurt of come and probably not in any sort of sync with Ganon’s rough thrusts behind him. It all feels too good for Link to care.

He makes a mess of the sheet with his come. He would worry about the mess and upsetting Ganon if he could think at all. But again, his focus narrows down to Ganon thrusting between his thighs. Ganon’s breath turns harsh above him, and sweat dampens their skin everywhere they touch. Ganon probably isn’t far behind him. Link hopes his body is enough to please his king. It’s the first thought Link has after blinking tears out of his eyes and digging his nails out of Ganon’s hand. He wants to give Ganon the same pleasure the king gives him. Link forces his melted brain to focus on the task at hand. He must keep his thighs tightly shut until Ganon finds his release, too. The sensation of skin thundering past his consumes all Link’s attention, right up until Ganon goes still behind him and lets loose another low moan. Ganon’s moans as he comes are so beautiful to Link that he sheds another tear or two.

Link has enough wits between his ears to glance down after Ganon goes still behind him. His eyes catch on the shiny spots in the maroon bedding beneath them. Hopefully their come won’t stain the fabric too much. Ganon’s prick is still hot and heavy between Link’s thighs. It will soften soon enough, but for now Link blinks down at the head flushed with blood, how the curve in Ganon’s shaft almost cradles his own genitals. Link bites back a little laugh at how different they are. Of course he’d known since that first night that Ganon is much larger—in every sense—than him. But to see even his own fully erect cock in comparison with his king’s… Link does laugh a little at the image. That doesn’t even account for the difference in thickness, color, or curve. Link wishes he could turn over and admire Ganon while the man calms down. Without Ganon’s penetrating gaze on him, Link might find such intimate exploration of his king possible. He wants to know the weight of Ganon in his hand, to see for true how much darker or lighter his cock is compared to the rest of him. Compared to him. These of course are silly, meaningless thoughts that pass through Link’s sated mind. He would like to touch Ganon at some point, though. Maybe Ganon will let him next time.

Sloppy kisses to the side of his neck are Link’s only warning before Ganon lifts him up. To the credit of his immense strength, Ganon’s arms don’t shake with Link’s weight, even after his orgasm. Ganon lays Link down closer to the edge and away from the wet spot they’d made. He pecks Link’s face a few times with messy, lazy kisses before stumbling out of bed. Eyes half closed, Ganon yanks the soiled linens from the bed and kicks them into a corner. From a wardrobe on the other side of the room, he tugs out a thin sheet and a smaller blanket. This one looks older, personal touches showing the love that had gone into it. Link wonders if someone had knitted or crocheted it, but he doesn’t have time to investigate. Ganon snaps the sheet to unroll it, casts it over the bed, and then sinks into the mattress. His added weight pops Link up, but Link makes sure he doesn’t roll off. Ganon grumbles under his breath while scooping Link up and cradling the little Hylian to his chest. The sheet isn’t even tucked under the mattress, but it will do for the night. Ganon throws the blanket over them next before going about kissing Link’s hair and rubbing his back.

“Are you well?” Ganon murmurs into his hair. “Did I hurt you?”

Link shakes his head and pecks his own kisses to Ganon’s chest hair. He even pets it to fluff it back up. He wishes he could express his gratitude for Ganon’s attention to him, but his voice is weak and fragile right now. Link had bitten off a loud moan as he came. It’s more volume than he’s used to, and his throat hurts when he tries to speak. So instead, the young Hylian nuzzles and hums in Ganon’s arms to show his affection. Such acts must speak clearly to Ganon, because Ganon questions his welfare no longer. If Ganon doubts his happiness, then he would not lay the matter to rest. Link cuddles as close as he can and sighs in the valley between his king’s breasts. Ganon’s heart still beats a little too wildly under Link’s hand. He hopes Ganon will find sleep soon. He’d been so tired earlier.

“Link, will you do something for me?”

Link has to shake himself a bit. He’d been so caught up in cuddling that he barely heard Ganon at all. Link tips his head up and finds Ganon’s eyes softly shut, face peaceful.

“Mmm?”

“Stay with me until morning. I want to hold you until we have to part.”

Link wiggles up the bed enough to kiss the hair on Ganon’s chin. He means that as a positive response, and Ganon takes it as such. He searches blindly for any part of Link he can kiss. An eyebrow is what he finds, so Ganon shifts his head just enough to kiss Link’s brow instead. That done, Link squirms back to his hiding place and tucks himself under Ganon’s chin again. Ganon is warm and lovely beside him, just like the last time they’d held each other. Ganon wants him to stay. Link’s heart lifts off like it’s lighter than air. So much has changed in his life in this short week. He’d met the most powerful person in the fortress, earned that man’s favor, and even bettered the lives of his fellow servants. Link sighs, happy and full in his heart, and kisses Ganon good night one more time before drifting off, too.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaand this is why I don't publish things until they're actually finished lol. Chapter four is in the works. No idea when it will be finished. RIP.

The next Link sees of Ganon, his heart nearly leaps out of his chest. Someone runs into the kitchen, panting from the distance, and demands Link return with them to the throne room. Granny, the older Gerudo woman in charge of the kitchen, dismisses him with a smile and nod. She doesn't seem upset or worried. Yet as Link nearly trots behind the messenger to keep up, he can’t help but ball his hands up by his chest. What does Ganon possibly want with him that’s so important that the man would send a runner? And order Link back to the throne room? Link searches his brain, searches his actions over the previous days to find what he’d done wrong. But he’s performed his duties the same as always. Ganon had made good on his promise about improving their working and living conditions, at least. That’s what Link remembers with stark clarity.

The day after their second night, half of those in his barrack had been moved to a new room. There’s more space in the barrack and new beds. The bath they all use has been fixed, pipes restored and tiles reset. No longer is Link at risk of slicing open the soles of his feet on broken tiles. The water is clean and doesn’t smell like eggs. The soap doesn’t burn their skin when they wash. Granny happily shoves more food into their hands, where before she would have to sneak extra morsels to them. No one complains about the changes, but they all wonder amongst themselves as to why things have changed. Link keeps the secret to himself. They would never believe him anyway. And what good would it do them to know the truth? None, so Link keeps quiet. Instead, Link picks at the new, fresh clothes keeping him modest as he and the runner sprint deeper into the fortress. It’s cooler in these parts, and the sweat that covers Link chills him. Hopefully it will dry soon so that he’s not a shaking mess in Ganon’s throne room.

The runner tugs with all their strength at the huge, double doors to the throne room. Link pats them lightly on the shoulder to get them to stop. It takes nothing for him to give one of the doors a little yank. It cracks open wide enough for him to slip through, past the runner whose eyes bug out of their head. Link turns on his toes once he’s inside and shuts the door again. Once it’s sealed, the young Hylian flattens his back to the door and stares at the floor. He catches a glimpse of Ganon and his counsel seated around a table. The throne is at the back wall, yes, but off to the side a table provides seats for all for more diplomatic discussions. The throne is more of a theatrical piece anyway. Link shuffles on his feet as deep voices gently bounce off the walls like drunken bees. There is no yelling in this room. Only soft conversation, even if the conversation is grave or deeply important. When the voices fall silent, Link glances up a bit through his bangs.

Ganon stands from his seat at the table and waves a hand towards himself.

“Link, please, come here. I’m sorry to pull you away from your duties. This won’t take long, I promise.”

Link twists his fingers in front of his navel and scuttles over like a nervous crab. He tries to stand at the end of the table where no one sits, but Ganon’s chuckles has him lifting his eyes. Elbow on the table supporting his head, Ganon curls the index finger on his free hand to beckon Link closer. His smile is the same sort he gives Link when they kiss or when they hold each other. It helps melt away the curious and cold stares of Ganon’s counsel, waiting for Link to hop to it. Link shuffles to Ganon’s side with his shoulders in his ears. His tension doesn’t unwind even when Ganon takes one of his hands and pets the back of it for comfort. Link stares at the counsel table rather than meet Ganon’s kind eyes. That’s how he spots the two plates of what look like cucco cutlets on the table. Nerves overtaken by his confusion, Link finally glances up at Ganon with a little frown.

Ganon keeps hold of Link’s hand and gently scoots the two plates closer to where Link stands.

“Will you do something for me, Link? I need to prove a point to my staff, and you’re the perfect person to help me.”

Link nods and steps closer to the table. Ganon offers him a fork, handle first.

“Will you try both of these for me? It’s just breaded cucco breast, I promise. Nothing sinister.”

The way Ganon waggles his eyebrows draws a smile out of Link. He doesn’t dare laugh under the intimidating stares of the counsel. Judging by their tight lips, they don’t appreciate Ganon’s methods. But Link nods and slips his left hand free of Ganon’s grip to take the fork. Everyone sits and watches him wedge the side of the fork into the cutlet and cut a piece away. It tastes like it always does when Granny makes cucco cutlets for them. He’d eaten this exact thing hours ago for lunch. Link blinks at Ganon, terribly confused, before repeating himself. The second cutlet looks the same as the first, smells the same. And yet when he bites the food off the fork, he refuses to chew. Something isn’t right. Link shoots glances around the room, wondering what sort of prank this is, when Ganon offers him a cloth napkin. Link takes it without worrying about looking silly and spits the food out. Oh, how his tongue had revolted against that. The meat had been dry, tasted so foul…

Ganon cups his hands over each other and rests his chin on the backs of them.

“Well? I gather from your face that one of them wasn’t very good. Would you agree?”

Link wipes his mouth with the back of his hand and nods.

“The-the second one. Is something wrong with it?”

Ganon grins at Link before sitting back in his chair. He looks like a fluffed up cat, full of himself and happy with the results. He aims all that smugness at his staff.

“Not at first glance, no. The solution to the riddle required a bit of digging, but I finally figured it out.” Ganon points to the first plate Link had eaten from. “That piece of meat was from a hen raised and cared for by your hand. The other was from a different kitchen.” Ganon glances at Link and points to the little experiment. “Were you aware of this? That one of these was from your hens?”

Link shakes his head and resists the urge to tangle his fingers in knots again.

“No, my king. I had no idea.”

“What in the world could he possibly do different?” A staff member with a terrible scowl on their face barks. “They’re animals. You feed them, fatten them up, and then slaughter them. There’s no trick to it.”

Link flinches away from that voice and takes a step closer to Ganon. Has he… done something wrong?

“Clearly, that’s not the case,” Ganon says with a bored expression, like they’ve beaten this conversation into the ground. “You all tried it. You  **all** agreed the second plate is poor in quality.” Ganon jabs a finger in Link’s direction. “Whatever he is doing is the right way to do it. Everyone living in the fortress could benefit from some changes. You can’t deny the quality of Link’s hens is better.”

The one staff member who had objected continues to frown in Ganon’s direction. The rest almost sigh as one and nod their heads, mumble amongst each other. Ganon snorts at the display and turns in his chair to regard Link. All the tension bunching up Ganon’s face melts the moment his gaze lands on Link. Scooting back from the table, Ganon offers Link his hand when he stands. Link takes it without worrying about the other people in the room and follows Ganon back towards the double doors to the throne room. His staff continues to discuss the idea behind them. Ganon’s point is proven, his job done. Link doesn’t know it yet, but someone will visit him in the coming days to observe him working in order to apply his methods to every cucco coop in the fortress. Ignorance is bliss, and Link only has eyes for his king right now. They wander down the hall, back towards Link’s kitchen, when Ganon’s deep voice disturbs their peace.

“Have you eaten yet? Will you join me?”

Link doesn’t miss his next step. He’s surprised he hadn’t stumbled over his own feet.

“Um… I have eaten, but… I’ll join you anyway?”

It comes out as a question, but Ganon smiles down at him regardless. He pauses long enough to meet Link’s hand halfway to kiss the back of it.

“Lovely. Let’s return to your kitchen. I’ll eat something there.”

Once they reach the kitchen, though, one of the cooks asks Link to carry some cheese wheels for them from the cellar. Link flashes a little smile Ganon’s way before scampering to his task. Ganon will probably leave… He’d suggested eating in the kitchen just to spend time with Link. Or at least that’s Link’s thought as he hefts heavy wheels onto his biceps and carries them back up the stairs. When his head pops up from the cellar door, he finds Ganon sitting with Granny, talking to the old woman with a smile on his face.

Link admires the way his forewoman speaks so casually with Ganon—never stuttering, not avoiding his sparkling eyes. She even pats his arm like she’s comforting one of them. She treats Link and the others like her children, so it strikes Link as a surprise to see her do the same to Ganon. But the cook who had asked for his help yells about the cheese, so Link springs back into step and reports to the cook’s station.

He hopes to run back to where he’d seen Ganon, but then someone else ropes him into carrying scraps of food to the mulch bin outside. He pouts about that and the Gerudo after that who asks him to carry trays of food to an eating area nearby. Link is on his feet for at least an hour and barely sees Ganon except in passing. He’d wanted to sit with his king and talk, maybe trade a kiss or two. When Link returns to the kitchen, no additional task thrown his way, Ganon stands by the doors, waiting.

“They really keep you moving,” Ganon points out with a smile.

Link offers a tired shrug and shuffles closer to Ganon. A warm palm pets at his hair a few times before Link looks up.

“I have to go back before my staff sends every runner we have looking for me.” Ganon thumbs dust off Link’s cheek. “Thank you for coming and proving my point. They wouldn't believe I knew the single source of the better quality meat. All the cuccos in the fortress will be treated and handled better now, because of you.”

Link’s heart sinks at first, knowing he'd been right about Ganon leaving. But Ganon’s praise lifts him right back up. With all his heart, Link hopes Ganon’s words are true. He would love it if all the cuccos were treated nicely, spared from kicks and cruelty. They don't deserve that—no living creature does. Link’s insides squirm to think that Ganon must have such faith in him to bring him before the counsel. They along with Ganon run the territory. The prosperity of the desert valley is due to them and the hard work of laborers like Link. Link attempts to meet Ganon’s eyes and smile at him, wishing to show his appreciation of Ganon’s leadership. Ganon hums at him, a pleased sound, and takes a step towards the hall. Before the king can open his mouth and bid Link farewell, Link’s little hands fly up and tangle in Ganon’s cape.

“Wait! Um…”

Ganon’s wide, gold eyes staring down at him saps some of Link’s courage. But once Ganon catches sight of Link’s blush and how he shivers a little, the surprise melts into something dangerous and smooth. Link’s courage weakens even more when Ganon turns back to him and takes one of his hands. The other slides out of Ganon’s cape and fists at Link’s side. The hall is deserted, but even with an audience, Ganon would still pull Link’s hand up to meet his lips halfway.

“Yes?”

The word uncurls from Ganon’s mouth as a purr. It tickles the back of Link’s hand. Link’s stare could burn a hole through their hands. So, he shuts his eyes when Ganon's face dips into view.

“Um… can I see you? Tonight?”

The thick fingers cradling his hand slip away. But Link is not without Ganon’s warmth for long. His huge hands rise together to cup Link’s pink cheeks. Next, soft kisses flutter over the rest of his face, starting on his forehead, following the slope of his nose, and then doubling back for his lips. Link keeps his mouth soft despite how much he wants to bite the inside of his cheek. Ganon’s hands fall away to let their heads tilt at an appropriate angle. One lands on Link’s hip where Ganon’s fingers slip in through the slit of his top. Link prides himself on not jumping at the graze of rough fingertips on his side. Ganon’s other hand doesn't go far, just slides down to hold the side of Link’s throat.

Link’s fluttering pulse gives away how nervous and excited he is. The kisses end after a few seconds, their lips just slotted together a few times. But Ganon keeps close and presses their foreheads together. The jewel of his crown, stuck to the skin of his forehead, almost bites at Link’s skin. But Ganon must be aware of it, because he stands deathly still and doesn’t put pressure where they’re connected. When Link shoves his heart back down his throat and forces his eyes open, he finds his king’s glittering and barely open to look down at him. Link’s mouth opens and closes a few times, but no sound comes out.

“Tonight you say?” Ganon asks.

Link nods a little, just enough to give Ganon a response.

“Hmm,” Ganon hums while tilting his head down as if to kiss Link again. “Tonight… No, I'm sorry, I'm seeing someone already. I was going to ask a sweet and kind young man to keep me company.”

Link’s ears tip down a little, and his shoulders slouch. Oh of course. Ganon must want someone from his harem, tired of Link’s awkward fumbling. Link completely misses how Ganon’s act crumbles a little and a tiny smile starts to bloom on his face.

“Oh… I'm sorry, um…”

Ganon can't keep the act up. He bites back a snort and kisses Link’s cheek a few times until Link squeals in his arms. Ignoring his earlier comment about returning to the throne room, Ganon makes a grand show of his affection and snatches Link right off his feet. Soon, the hallway fills with Link’s giggling and Ganon’s pleased chuckle. Just like the other night in the bath, Link’s knees hug Ganon’s sides and his arms curl around Ganon’s neck. Link is mindful of his king’s crown and the ornaments in his hair. It would be fruitless to pet Ganon’s hair right now anyway. It’s all drawn tightly from his hairline and folded into his crown and then a bun on the back of his head. Link follows the sculpted hair-do and hardly believes all of Ganon’s flowing hair fits in such a small space. Sighing, Link kisses the jewel in the middle of his king’s forehead and relaxes in his arms. Ganon keeps him up with both arms cradling his thighs.

“I hope you know I was joking,” Ganon admits with a smile pressed to the side of Link’s neck. He doesn’t seem to mind the dry sweat or dust. “I was talking about you. I’d love it if you spent the night with me.” Ganon draws them apart to look up at Link’s shy smile. “I’d have you with me every night, if you allowed it.”

Link blushes and squirms in Ganon’s arms at that admission. He does dearly miss Ganon when he wakes up in his own bed. But Link knows his heart would nearly break if Ganon ever had to tell him no to a night together. Besides, who is he to a king? He’s a kitchen boy. He can’t bother Ganon every night. They’ve only spent two nights together! Ganon only says these things to be nice to him… That’s what Link believes, anyway. He calms down with that somber thought and squeezes Ganon’s sides with his legs. Their position is intimate, of course, but so long as no one sees them, Link doesn’t fuss too much. He’s used to invisibility. Ganon’s sparkling eyes on him are quite enough.

“Don’t um… don’t you like having your space, though? You’d probably get tired of me after a while.”

“Never,” Ganon murmurs in his ear. His facial hair tickles the cartilage when he smirks. “I’ll never grow tired of you, Link. As time goes on, I find myself wanting to be near you. Spend more time with you.”

Link shivers in his king’s hold and whispers, “Me, too.”

Ganon jostles Link in his arms, bouncing him a little to get a firmer grip on him. Link sits up once everything goes still. Some blond hair falls in Link’s face, so Link uncurls one arm from around Ganon’s neck to scoop it all away. Link bets himself that Ganon would have done it, if he had a hand free. Ganon does seem to genuinely enjoy touching him and talking to him. If this were a charade or something done out of kindness… wouldn’t Ganon have stopped by now? Ganon wouldn’t have sat in the kitchen for over an hour just to talk to him. Ganon wouldn’t constantly question Link’s comfort when they’re alone, if this were all for show. He’d kept his promise about making changes for the servants. Everyone is happier, healthier. Would Ganon go all that way unless he truthfully enjoyed Link’s presence? Ganon is honest in that facet. He is someone worth trusting and… leaning on. Someone safe. Link bites his lip while arguing with himself, but a little hop from Ganon’s arms makes him stop.

Ganon flicks an eyebrow up at him, scolding him for abusing his lower lip. Link bows his head with a sheepish smile. Ganon had caught him again. It’s almost a fun, flirty thing between them, though. Link doesn’t mind being caught.

“Anyway,” Ganon drawls once he’s sure Link won’t bite himself again. “I meant what I said. And before I put you down, I make you this offer. Please come to my bedchamber whenever you want. As often as you want. You don’t have to ask me or tell me. Just come. Okay?”

“Are you sure?”

Ganon draws them back together again in order to kiss Link’s cheek.

“Yes, I’m sure. Sleep there as often as you want. I want you there.”

Link holds Ganon’s words in his heart as the king lowers him back to the floor. Ganon keeps hold of Link’s upper arms until he’s sure Link is steady. Ganon barely lets him go when Link reaches for him once again.

“Wait um…”

Sighing with a smile on his face, Ganon takes Link’s outstretched hand and squeezes it.

“Yes, my little treasure?”

“I… I want to tell you my story,” Link admits while staring at their hands. He shakes too much to meet Ganon’s eyes. “Of… how I got here? What happened to me?”

Ganon pets the back of Link’s hand in a thoughtful, tender sort of way. He once more bends down to meet Link’s hand halfway for a kiss. This one lingers, and Ganon watches Link up the length of the boy’s arm. When he picks his head up, Ganon’s breath still ghosts over the thin skin of Link’s hand.

“Tonight, then. Tell me whatever you want. I’ll listen.”

Link nods and adds softly, “I’m sorry if I cry. I’ll try not to.”

“Nonsense. There’s nothing wrong with crying. I imagine your story is neither a pleasant nor merciful one.”

Ganon stoops down a little lower to nudge Link’s head up. Link’s sorrow is evident in his frown, how big his eyes are. They close slowly and softly as Ganon draws them together one last time to kiss Link’s frown away. Ganon’s facial hair pricks at Link’s chin as they hold that kiss. It’s nothing deep, nothing messy. Ganon means it more as a show of comfort for Link, giving him something to feel. When they separate, Link’s lips part as if he’s about to speak. He doesn’t, though. He blinks up at Ganon through his bangs and swallows hard. The ball of emotions in his throat prevents him from speaking. He also knows Ganon must return to his duties—and Link his. Ganon’s hand that had held his jaw through the kiss slips away, caressing his face until the last moment.

“Until tonight, my sweet Link.”

All Link can manage is a hum and nod. His throat is too tight for anything else as he watches Ganon walk away. That tightness doesn’t go away as Link finishes his chores. The tension sinks into his stomach and ties the poor thing in knots. Link can’t tell if dread has moved in and set up shop in his stomach or if something he ate didn’t agree with him. Link chalks it up to nerves. He’s never told anyone his story, not even the fortress guards who’d found him half-dead in the desert years ago. He’d been extremely lucky to be in Granny’s care at the time. She hadn’t yet earned her position as forewoman in a kitchen. She’d still been running errands and doing chores like him, even for a woman her age. But she’d spirited him away from the sick bays and snuck him into the kitchen. He’s been there ever since, melting into the background and shadows so that no one would notice him. Until Ganon, of course. Link worries over his tight stomach and what Ganon will think of him once the story is told.

He beats Ganon back to his bedchamber, just like their second night together. Link stands by the doors and goes over Ganon’s earlier offer. Sleep here whenever he wants? Every night maybe? Link’s bangs falling across his face hide his smile. His sleeping conditions aren't so bad in the barracks anymore. They’re not as warm or cozy as Ganon’s bed. They also lack the king’s presence, which Link considers most important of all. Waking up every morning with Ganon beside him… Falling asleep every night with a heavy arm keeping him close and safe… Link lets out a hopeless, little sigh and holds himself across his stomach. He’s still tied up in knots there, and thinking about Ganon just adds his fluttering heart to his list of aches. A hot bath would do him good. And when Link stands outside his king’s bedchamber for twenty minutes with no sign of the Gerudo, he takes up Ganon’s offer and makes himself comfortable.

Link is used to bathing alone, or at least not in close quarters with others. But after his one bath with Ganon, he has to admit he prefers it like that. Even ignoring the end part where their bath had turned intimate, Link would prefer the giant man at his side, helping him wash. Ganon does not appear during Link’s bath, much to Link’s disappointment. He doesn’t pout about it, though. Instead, he sits at the vanity near the bath and combs out his hair. It combs easier in the communal baths, too. Giving them better, higher quality soaps and things has improved that alone.

Link also tries to keep his hair tidier now that he knows Ganon will just show up or summon him without warning. Link stares at himself in the mirror before him and knows he’s nothing to look at. He’s scrawny with knobby knees, rough hands, and he thinks his head might be too big. But for some reason, Ganon looks at all that and calls him pretty. Beautiful. Link sets the comb down and shoves his hair over his shoulder. Turning his head this way and that, he still can’t see it. But he gives a shrug and moves into the bedchamber, seeking the bed.

Link is intent on dozing for a while before Ganon arrives. As he crawls into bed, he gives the room a once over. He’s only been alone in here that first time, and he’d been too nervous to explore. He won’t touch anything, manners being what they are, but he hopes maybe Ganon’s possessions might tell him something more about the king. What had struck him the first time was how simple the room was. How useful the furniture and everything is. The chairs and wood furniture could be found in any bedchamber within the fortress.

The only things Ganon has of value—at least that Link has seen—are his many piece of jewelry. They’re always the first things off him when he comes in, Link has noticed. But other than that… the king does not surround himself with annoying, gaudy wealth. Link bends his legs to bring his knees up to his chest and holds his legs like that. He supposes that alone tells him something important about Ganon. The man is not blinded by material wealth. Link appreciates that about him. It reminds him of his parents, of his life.

Sighing, Link burrows under the covers and stares at the ceiling. He doesn’t let himself think about them. He will tonight, purely because he’ll be retelling his story. Well, telling his story for the first time. Link desperately wants to avoid crying in front of Ganon. He doesn’t want to appear weak to his king. What sort of person cries over events that happened years in the past? Link pouts to himself and curls up on his side. Crying had once put a target on his back. He remembers the bullying and the endless scrapes and bruises on him. The more Link remembers, the more upset he becomes. It all opens a pit in his already aching stomach and just twists him all up inside. Link just bundles the blanket around him and rubs his face into a pillow that smells like Ganon. It’s cold in the big bed without him, and Link wishes his king would make haste. Link dozes off to that thought and wakes to the bed dipping.

A heavy hand pets his hair that pokes above the blanket while Ganon murmurs, “I’m so sorry, Link. Time got away from me. Are you well?”

When big, sad eyes peek over the edge of the blanket, Ganon figures out the answer for himself.

“Hold tight for a few moments longer, my little one.” Ganon bends down to kiss Link’s hair. “I’ll be with you soon.”

With Link to focus on as his end goal, Ganon makes quick work of his jewelry, clothes, and a quick wash. Link remains where Ganon had found him, curled up in the middle of the bed and facing the nearest wall. So when Ganon’s wet feet slap back into the bedchamber proper, Link doesn’t watch him approach. The mattress dips once more under Ganon’s weight, and then lion paws scoop him up. Link barely makes a sound, perhaps just a whine of need, as Ganon pulls him into a hug under the blanket.

Link’s usual hiding spot under Ganon’s chin waits to receive him. Link’s stomach churns horribly as he cuddles up to Ganon. He’s so heartbroken and nervous about telling Ganon his history that he might be sick. But they don’t immediately dive into conversation. Ganon holds him and pets his drying hair, cranes down to kiss those blond strands every so often. The warmth and skin-smell of his king helps unravel Link some. He’s not feeling 100%, but it’s an improvement from his solitude.

“Everything will be okay,” Ganon tells him while they cuddle. “You’re safe, now. You’ll always have a place here. No matter what happened to you in the past, you’re here now.”

Link shakes in his hiding place and blurts out, “I like horses… We um… we had a few at home.”

Ganon’s warm hand on his back doesn’t miss a beat in petting him.

“Did you? No wonder you’re so good with the animals near your kitchen. Did your family own a farm?”

Link nods and presses his face to Ganon’s collarbones.

“Mother and Father… and her father. We all called him Pa. Um... “ Link squirms under Ganon’s arm while recalling their faces. It grows more difficult as time goes on. “I had siblings, too, but… well, none of them lived very long. I was the only one who grew up.”

“I’m sorry,” Ganon says into his hair, never having stopped his petting hands or his mindless kisses.

“We had sheep, and I would walk Hyrule Fields with them. It was…”

‘Easy’ isn’t quite the word. It had been a difficult life, but fulfilling. He’d been happy. It had been more difficult than living in the fortress, anyway.

“It was good,” Link says lamely. He doesn’t know what else to say, knowing no matter how “good” it’d been, it ended up terrible. “Predictable. I was away with the sheep when… Well, Father and I had found some of the field damaged… scorch marks from campfire… animal bones. Some of our sheep went missing. We didn’t know what it was…”

Ganon holds him tighter as Link shakes harder. He’d forgotten the warning signs. He only remembers the attack and the fire well. He’d overlooked the warning signs like he and Father had back then.

Voice tight, Link forces himself to continue.

“I was out with the sheep in the early morning. I’d walked east. So when-when I saw an orange glow over the hill, looking west, I knew… I knew…”

Link’s throat closes up at that point. It’s too tight to even cry or sob. His shoulders become neighbors to his ears until Link unwinds a little. They rise right back up after a few breaths. Everything is too tight inside him as he remembers. His stomach doesn’t help, aching like someone had punched him, leaving him bloated. Link just hides his face against Ganon’s skin and tries to breathe for a few seconds. Ganon says nothing above him, just continues his constant back and forth, up and down petting of Link’s back. It’s the only thing that prevents Link from flying apart.

“Raiders… Um, Hylians banding together with monsters. They burned the house and barn. Trampled my parents with their horses. They picked me up and took me with them.” Link grits his teeth when he runs out of breath again. When he speaks, his chest burns. “Maybe they thought I was a girl. They cut my hair and sold it. Made me follow their band on foot. They dragged me when I couldn’t walk. I don’t… I don’t remember how long I was with them.”

“Too long,” Ganon finally murmurs, voice more like a sound than words. “Too long, sweet Link.”

“But I escaped,” Link says with his eyes finally pricking with tears. “We’d wandered close to Gerudo Valley, and the raiders refused to try it. So at night I-I chewed the ropes tying me to a post and ran into the desert. I only had a long shirt on, like a nightgown. It was all they… gave me.” Link sniffles hard and tries to stop his chin from shaking when he adds, “And when I passed out in the sand, and-and I thought I would die, guards found me and brought me here. But I wanted to die. I wanted to see my parents again.”

“Oh Link,” Ganon sighs. His hand on Link’s back finally stops, only to grip the back of Link’s head as he cries. “I’m so sorry, my little one. My treasure…”

“I miss them,” Link admits like a sin, breathless and at his wits’ end. “It hurts to think about them.”

Ganon shushes him a little and rubs circles into his scalp. Link skips sobbing and dives straight into hiccups as he clings to Ganon’s back. Link’s little nails carve marks into the skin of Ganon’s back. He doesn’t mean to hurt his king, but he needs to hold on to something. Someone. Ganon doesn’t make a single sound of protest. Link’s hair is dry and fragrant where Ganon rubs his cheek against the strands. They get caught in the friction of Ganon’s facial hair and stick to him some. It would tickle if Link weren't drowning in sorrow.

He'd forgotten about those dark days, dark weeks that followed his rescue. He'd wanted to wander back into the dunes and die, maybe find an asp and let it bite him. Granny had kept a sharp eye on him after secreting him into the kitchen. She'd kept him fed, clothed, washed. She must have felt his quiet desperation and took it upon herself to save him from wasting away. Link shakes bundled in Ganon’s warmth and the blanket. Oh, how he'd forgotten how horrible it all was. He'd also forgotten how wonderful his life had been before the raiders and all the death. Much like his parents, Link tries not to think about that.

“You miss them,” Ganon says into his hair after Link’s hiccups calm some. “It's all right to miss them. They’re your parents, they love you. And you love them. It's okay, Link. It's okay to mourn them.”

“It hurts,” Link laments. “I don't like th-thinking about them.”

Cool air pours into the space between Link and his hiding place as Ganon shifts back. His big hands worm between them to hold Link’s damp cheeks. Link doesn't fight his king as Ganon dips down to kiss his forehead. The comfort does little to soothe the ache in Link’s gut. He’s too worked up, now. But at least his king is here. Link always feels better with Ganon around. Link anchors Ganon’s hands to him by holding his king by a wrist. Link wishes there were room between them to wipe his tears away. He doesn’t want Ganon to see him cry. But his tears are obvious, and Ganon wipes them away occasionally.

“You must, my little one. You must remember them and mourn them. To carry around this grief with you is madness.” Ganon kisses his forehead a few more times. “They would want you to be happy and live without this grief. Please, little one, please consider it?”

Link’s jaw trembles in Ganon’s hands as he whines, “My stomach hurts.”

Ganon sighs and brushes the last tears from Link’s cheeks. The blanket is a bit of a mess around them from Ganon pulling them together at the start of all this. Ganon holds Link to him with the arm he’s lying on while tugging the blanket to rights with the other. It settles warm and heavy over Link, exactly what he needs. Ganon even does him the courtesy of drawing the edge of the blanket up to Link’s ear. Even after only two nights together, Ganon had recognized Link’s preferred way to sleep. Link closes his eyes to Ganon huffing and shifting beside him. He hopes that’s not a sign that Ganon is about to get out of bed. He doesn’t want “space” or privacy. He wants to lie here with his sore eyes and aching stomach and drift away for a little while. And when he wakes, Ganon will be there. As they settle and Ganon pins the blanket to Link’s side with an arm thrown over him, Link remembers Ganon’s offer. Waking up and falling asleep beside Ganon every day… The idea brings a tiny smile to Link’s face despite his melancholy.

“Ganon?” Link murmurs while pawing at his king’s chest.

Ganon gives him a squeeze and a hum rather than words.

“About um… about earlier, when you said you wanted me to sleep here. Whenever I-I wanted?”

Another hum encourages Link to continue.

Since Ganon can’t see him, Link quickly bites his lower lip before whispering, “I’d like that. I want to um… sleep next to you. If you’ll have me?”

Under the covers, the leg Ganon isn’t lying on shifts before hooking around Link’s to draw him closer. A little laugh bubbles out of Link. It’s a tired, weak sort of thing. Unbeknownst to Link, the sound of it has Ganon’s heart swelling and brings a smile to his weary face. He leaves their legs tangled together, although loosely. Link is happy with any sort of contact and winds his smaller arm around Ganon’s torso. His hug isn’t anything like the all-encompassing embrace Ganon currently holds him in, but he wants to feel Ganon, too. He wants to feel anything other than this sadness from his memories. He’s not ready to deal with it, but he will try. For Ganon.

Ganon draws in a deep breath as if he senses Link’s tension draining. He holds Link tightly to him, under his chin, and murmurs in the dark, “Good night, Link. I’ll be here when you wake. Everything will be better in the morning.”

When Link wakes, though, everything is not well. He doesn’t wake to the dawn like usual, but to Ganon fully dressed and gently shaking him. Link shivers under the covers and curls into a tighter ball. The mattress dips by his side as Ganon sits. His hand on Link’s shoulders slides up to tangle in his hair. It’s damp with sweat. Link whines and tries to turn away when Ganon peels the blanket away from his head. He’d felt terrible all last night, and now it’s even worse. He’s beginning to suspect maybe something hadn’t agreed with him yesterday. But Ganon pets hair out of his eyes, and that draws Link out of his speculation. The light in the room is dim just like it is when they’ve crawled into bed. However, Link still barely cracks an eye open.

“You’re shaking,” Ganon points out. “Are you all right? You didn’t wake earlier when I got up.”

Bottling another shiver, Link shoots Ganon a weak smile and mumbles, “I’m okay. I’m just a little cold. I’ll, um… I’ll get up soon and report to the kitchen. I’ll be okay.”

His king’s lips thin into a line. Link has to restrain himself from shivering more. Ganon will just worry about him. That’s the last thing Link wants right now. He needs to get out of bed and tend to the cuccos. They’ll be cross with him again for missing their dawn breakfast. He just needs Ganon to leave, to not see him crawl out of bed, in order to actually attend to said duty. Link wiggles a hand out of the blanket to lightly grip Ganon’s wrist. The hand petting his hair stops, but Ganon does not pull away. Link hums under his hand and smiles up at him. He’s okay. He needs Ganon to believe that.

“I’ll be okay,” Link repeats himself. “I’ll take a quick bath and be wide… wide awake. I just want to sleep a little bit longer.”

Ganon returns Link’s soft smile, bends down more, and kisses his hair.

“Take all the time you need. Your forewoman knows where you are.” Ganon hesitates then, debating with himself about something. But he just as quickly ticks his lips up in another smile before pulling away. “Take it easy, sweet Link. I’ll see you tonight, yes?”

Link nods and clutches the blanket around him again. It seals out the cooler air of the bedchamber. The chill wreaks havoc on his sweat-soaked skin. Ganon’s golden gaze lingers on him, roaming over his body hidden beneath the blanket. Again, Ganon hesitates as if to say something. Link blinks hard to rid his vision of spots that float around the edges. He hopes he can stand without crumbling to the floor. Ganon must leave, first. Ganon draws in a deep breath that lifts his shoulders before he nods. Each step screams remorse as Ganon makes for the double doors. He casts one final glance over his shoulder, but says nothing. Link holds his breath until the heavy door slips shut behind Ganon’s cape. After that, he flops on his back and lies in the bed. The ceiling is the same as always, minus the odd way it tilts until Link forces his eyes to focus. The poor boy shoves himself up, but even just that little bit of movement has his head spinning. He has to make it back to the kitchen, though. He has a duty, animals depending on him.

Link doesn’t dare step into the bath alone. Instead, he uses a washcloth and water in a basin to wipe away sweat. He’d bathed for true last night, so there’s only his night sweat to clean. Link finds his clothes from yesterday—he’ll have to keep some here if he sleeps with Ganon, what a thought—and shoves his limbs into them. He has to sit down to steps into his pants and pull them up. The top, loose with slits on the side, goes on easier. But by the time he’s dressed, he’s terribly damp with sweat all over again. When Link wipes some away from his forehead, he finds his fingertips shockingly cold. It’s like the desert night has crept into his flesh and lingered there. Link shivers on the stool he’d fallen onto to dress and hugs himself. How will he make it all the way across the fortress to his kitchen?

Feet shuffling in his sandals, Link keeps a hand on the wall as he stumbles away from Ganon’s bedchamber. The change from night owls to the day workers has already occurred. The halls are deserted. Link sends a prayer skyward for that. He doesn’t need anyone stopping him and delaying his long, slow trip. His girls will be furious with him the longer this takes. Link stops at one point where the hall opens into a courtyard. The trickle of the fountain in the center of the arid garden brings a smile to his face. He’d love some water, or just something to warm him up. He can’t stop shaking, stares at his fingers that twitch like worms on the wall. If he lets go of the red sandstone, he’ll fall. The question is… how does he get from one side of the courtyard to the other? He’s run out of wall.

Link’s first step past the wall has him falling to his knees and then his face as the world darkens.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that the updates for this are so slow!!! This is why I never publish before finishing something!!! **THANKS I HATE IT** The next part is mostly sex. Sex and awkward confessions.

When Link wakes, some unknown time later, the world is heavy around him. Heavy and hushed. It reminds him of the cellar in the kitchen. Once, someone had accidentally—or perhaps on purpose—kicked the door shut and sealed him in. A few hours had passed before someone heard him screaming. Had he fallen down the steps and passed out? No, no it’s… it’s too warm where he is to be the cellar. And the pillow under him, there’s no explanation for that if he’d fallen down the cellar steps. He’s underground, yes, but somewhere else. Familiar. Link turns his heavy head into the pillow and wipes sweat from his brow. The poor thing under him is damp from his sweat, but it smells like safety and comfort. It smells like his king, but that doesn’t make sense, either…

Thoughts like that slip through Link’s fingers like silk. He falls asleep again with his damp pillow, damp sheets, and damp clothes. The next time he wakes, though, everything is clean. He manages to open his eyes this time, although it sends a spear of agony straight through his head. When the world stops spinning and flashing, he recognizes where he is. It’s the same sort of place where guards had brought him when they found him all those years ago. He’s in a convalescent room under the fortress. The sick are kept down here to prevent the disease or illness from spreading. It’s also a constant, cool temperature beneath the sandstone of the fortress. It helps his fever, although he only realizes just now that has been the cause of his endless sweating. He’d sweat through the sheets and blanket of Ganon’s bed, too. Ganon is Link’s last thought before the pain in his head becomes too much and he falls back asleep.

He drifts in and out of the waking world a few times. A few of those times, though, he thinks perhaps he’d been dreaming. Two, tiny Gerudo women tend to him sometimes when he wakes. But he’s never seen Gerudo quite so small, smaller than him. He’s never seen Gerudo so old, either, as if with their age they’d collapsed in on themselves. They are kind to him, real or not, and help him eat and change the cloth on his forehead that gathers sweat. When he wakes and knows with total assurance that he’s not dreaming, he never sees them. Being alone doesn’t sit well with him, but just as his heart gives a panicked lurch at his solitude, the door to his room opens. The familiar, barrel chest of his king is the first thing Link sees before it clicks in his muddled head that Ganon is here.

“You’re awake again,” Ganon says quietly.

In his hands, he carries a basin with steaming water. A few hand towels lie tossed over his shoulder. Gone are his court fineries, his jewelry, his cape. He wears something more like Link does for work. The image startles Link into silence. Ganon takes that silence for what it is—confusion—and sits at a stool by Link’s bedside. The basin and towels end up on a squat table shoved to the wall. Ganon reaches for him slowly like one would a wild animal. Link flinches away at the thought of Ganon touching him. Whatever he has… he doesn’t want Ganon to suffer. It’s an illness of some sort, and he doesn’t want it to spread.

“It’s all right,” Ganon says just as softly as before. “You’re awake, and you’re going to be fine.”

Link shakes his head and struggles to lift a hand to keep Ganon at bay.

“Am…” Link winces at how dry his throat is, but he struggles through speaking anyway. “Am I dying? I don’t-don’t want you to…”

Ganon shakes his head and takes Link’s trembling, chilly hand between both of his. It isn’t until their skin meets that Link realizes just how cold his fingers are.

“You fell ill three days ago and collapsed in a courtyard. A runner discovered you and alerted the appropriate people.” Ganon squeezes and pets warmth into Link’s hand. “This is actually a common sickness we get as children. I think outside the valley it’s called ‘Gerudo Flu,’ which is ridiculous, but…”

Ganon pauses long enough to reach for the squat table beside him and scoop a cup into his hand. It’s tea, still hot, and he helps Link sit up to drink. The act of sitting up in bed triggers terrible aches in the muscles of Link’s abdomen and chest. The muscles around his ribs scream in agony like his head. He wonders if he’d coughed himself sore or maybe vomited at one point. His mouth tastes particularly foul, but apparently he’s been ill for a few days and probably has eaten nothing but medicine and light food. Oh, and he probably smells terrible from three days of sweating. And yet when Link drains the cup, hands it back to Ganon, and then sniffs himself, he finds his skin clean… Link blinks up at Ganon and tries to squeeze his king’s hand in return.

“So um… you won’t catch it?”

Ganon shakes his head and murmurs, “It’s unlikely. And even if I did, it wouldn’t knock me out of commission like it did you.” He reaches up with his free hand to pet Link’s damp bangs out of his eyes. “You’ll be okay, but you gave me a terrible scare in the beginning. We couldn’t keep fluids in you at first, and that’s really the only way children die from this flu.”

Link swallows hard at that and opens his mouth to apologize. But a little smile on Ganon’s face makes him pause.

“But you’re tenacious even in such a state, and you pulled through after that first day. You’ve mostly slept since then. I’ve been taking shifts with my aunts to watch over you. They are particularly skilled healers and witches, and they jumped at the chance to help nurse you back to health.” Ganon pets his hair again and adds almost shyly, “They recognized how important you are to me.”

“Aunts?” Link holds Ganon’s wrist that’s up by his face, just to feel his skin. He tries not to dwell on Ganon’s warm voice admitting that last part. “Are they um… very small?”

Ganon’s little smile turns into a grin.

“Yes, exceptionally small women. Don’t let that fool you, though, they are a force to be reckoned.” Ganon’s hand easily slips Link’s grip on his wrist, and he tests Link’s temperature at his forehead. “You still have a fever. Lie back down and I’ll clean you up a bit. It’s about time to change out your sheets anyway.”

Link’s brain then of course brings up the question of what he’s been doing to relieve himself for the past three days. That immediately sends Link into a spiral of shame and disgust. Ganon picks up on it, though, and reaches back over to pet Link’s hair.

“What’s wrong? You’ve gone very pale, my little one…”

“Please don’t trouble yourself,” Link blurts out with his face on fire and his blood roaring in his ears. “I-I don’t want to burden you, my king.”

“Hush with that,” Ganon says with an edge to his voice, like they’ve argued about this already. He leans away from Link long enough to soak a rag, wring it out, and then bring it back to Link’s face. “If I weren’t here, taking care of you, then I’d be worried sick with my counsel, sitting at my desk doing nothing, and neglecting all the other things I normally do on a daily basis. I’d get nothing done and would probably find myself trying to wander down here. Let me take care of you.”

Ganon explains all this while gently wiping at Link’s face, the back of his neck, and across his collarbones. The collar of his shirt—or whatever thing someone has put him in, because he’s naked from the waist down—dips low, giving Ganon access to that. Ganon’s dry, unoccupied hand takes one of Link’s shoulders and guides him to lie down. Once Link is there, relaxed and cooperative, Ganon picks up the edge of his shirt and slips the washcloth under. Link closes his eyes under his king’s care and tries not to make a fuss. This must be why he’s not covered in sweat, oil, and other muck. Ganon has been washing him while he’s ill. Link’s heart skips a few beats and his breathing hitches a few times. Ganon mistakes it for Link about to cry, though, and slowly retracts his hand from under Link’s shirt.

“Shh, you’re okay,” Ganon says while reaching for Link to pet him. No tears fall, but Link doesn’t correct Ganon’s misunderstanding. “My treasure, please don’t be upset. I could not sit around and carry on knowing you were down here. It’s my duty to serve and protect all my people.” He pets hair out of Link’s eyes in order to see those big blues. “Not only that, but you are very dear to me. I wanted to take care of you entirely on my own, but I’m afraid I’m not skilled in this area. But I can wash you, change your clothes and bedding, and just lie here so you’re not alone. I will… leave, if you want me to, though.”

Link shakes his head and captures Ganon’s wrist again.

“N-no, please, don’t go. I don’t like waking up alone. It’s too quiet here, too… lonely.”

He barely understands what he means, but Ganon somehow understands. He nods, leans forward to kiss Link’s feverish forehead, and then returns to wiping Link down. There is purpose and function in Ganon’s movements over Link’s skin, none of their flirting lingers in these swipes with a cloth. Link is just happy he isn’t a complete mess around Ganon. For his king to see him scraping bottom like this, too ill to even sit up or stand… And it’s been three days of this. Three days of lying here and not working. Tears finally do prick at Link’s eyes just as Ganon abandons the cloth near the basin of water he’d brought. When he turns back with empty hands, he finds Link hiding his face behind his own. The little jump in Link’s shoulders tells him everything.

“Oh Link, please don’t cry.” Ganon reaches for Link’s wrists and gently peels his hands away from his face. He stands from the stool in order to sit on Link’s bed, right near his legs. “You’ll be okay, I promise, the worst has passed, please don’t cry…”

Link’s hand flashes up to shove tears off his cheeks before Ganon can do it. His throat is almost too tight to speak, but he forces it anyway.

“I… I haven’t worked in the kitchen for so long… Who will take care of the cuccos?”

Ganon’s mouth falls open and then shuts a few times. He’s not sure what to make of Link’s whimpered question.

“My sweet Link, your cuccos are in good hands. You’ll be with them again soon enough…”

Link shakes his head and covers his face again.

“No, you don’t understand.” It comes out muffled, but Link refuses to lower his hands. “When someone c-can’t do their job, they’re replaced. I don’t… I can’t…”

The mattress shifts under Link as Ganon scoots closer. The king draws Link down and onto his side while cradling the poor kitchen boy to his chest. Link clings to Ganon’s simple top with weak, numb hands. Oh, what will become of his sweet girls? Ganon’s experiment a few days ago had proved that Link’s ways are better, but how will they improve if Link isn’t taking care of the cuccos anymore? Someone else will probably just treat them horribly, see them as things to “fatten up and slaughter” like that one staff member of Ganon’s had said. Link’s stomach twists horribly like that night, and he worries he might be ill. But Ganon holds him tightly, pets his hair, and shushes his little hiccups to comfort him. It helps, but his sorrow is ravenous.

“Link, please my little one, everything is fine. Your job is secure.” Ganon chuckles at that point and kisses the top of Link’s head. “I couldn’t  _ give _ your job away, sweet boy. Your hens would revolt if anyone handled them but you. I promise your job in the kitchen is yours. I promise.”

Link’s chin shakes where it’s hidden in Ganon’s shirt. That’s just not the way things are. But Ganon wouldn’t understand. He’d said so himself that he is disconnected, is unaware of what goes on outside his circle. But then again, as much as Link knows his job can’t possibly still be his, Ganon would never lie to him. And his old fear of having nowhere else to go is gone, too. Ganon had promised him a place within the fortress no matter what. And if Ganon is here, spending so much time taking care of his weak body, then he must still mean that. When Link returns to the kitchen to find himself replaced, Ganon will probably offer him a job somewhere else. Link already misses his girls and hopes Granny will let him see them one last time. It’s unlikely a position in the same kitchen will be available to him. He might never see his cuccos again.

“All is not lost,” Ganon murmurs into Link’s hair. “You’ll see. Sleep for now. I’ll be right here when you wake. I’ll take you up to my bedchamber once your fever breaks. You’ll be more comfortable up there. Okay?”

Link’s body has little energy left after a cry like that. But still, he clings to Ganon’s top with everything left in him.

“Don’t leave,” he begs. “Please, don’t leave.”

Ganon squeezes him tight enough to hurt before promising, “I won’t. You have my word, little one. I’ll be right here until you wake next. I won’t leave you.”

Link struggles to fall back asleep despite his lack of energy. Every time his eyes flutter shut, they remain shut only for a moment before he startles back awake. The worry that Ganon will be gone cripples him at every turn. And yet when he forces his eyes back open, Ganon is right where he said he’d be. His king’s warmth is a welcome relief from the pervasive chill Link’s fever brings. He doesn’t want to dirty Ganon’s clothes with his sweat and clinging, but he also doesn’t want to be alone. No matter how Link shivers or sweats as he fights for sleep, Ganon never lets him go. He’s restless, and yet every inch of him aches all the way to the bone. Link only manages a bit of slumber when Ganon pets his loose hair and guides him into dreams with a song hummed low in his chest.

He swears he doesn’t drift off long enough to dream. But he startles awake once again to the fresh image of his parents holding him and sitting in the kitchen. That house is long gone, though. The kitchen hadn’t even looked like the one in the house. He doesn’t remember what the floors had looked like, where the iron stove was. No, his brain had mashed together what he could remember of the house and sewn it up with pieces of his life in the fortress. The floor of the fortress kitchen he works in is sandstone pounded smooth and flat by feet. He’s sure the floor of the house had been wood… Thinking about it, remembering the places around the table his parents would sit, upsets him. His sinuses are too clogged for crying, so he holds it back. Ganon is still warm beside him, breathing softly and deeply. At least one of them had slept peacefully.

Of course, Ganon had said he shares the duty of watching over Link with his aunts. Which means at some point, his king does leave. Ganon sits Link up in bed, pillow behind his neck, before that happens. Link keeps a hand twisted in Ganon’s simple clothes, desperate to bind the Gerudo to his side. Ganon sits at Link’s hips and holds him for a bit. The familiar brush of Ganon’s large hand on his hair soothes some of Link’s worry. He's not well enough to stand, let alone leave. Ganon will return, will take him back to the surface once he's well enough. His fever still comes and goes. It creeps up on him even now while Ganon kisses his forehead and tips his chin up to look at him. Link’s eyes shut like he hasn't slept in ages. It's a struggle to open them again when lips kiss his cheek in a farewell.

“Shall I lay you back down before I go? Your fever is getting worse again.”

Link shakes his head and tugs on Ganon’s shirt. He can't explain in words how much he doesn't want Ganon to leave, doesn't want to be cold and alone again. The melded dreams of his past and present will find him if Ganon isn't here. His heart swells up until he's tight inside and about to burst. Some of the pressure finds a way out through his tears. He wishes he could stop crying.

“I'm cold.”

Ganon hums at that and draws the thick blanket spread over Link’s legs higher. Link has to release Ganon’s clothes in order for his king to tuck him under the blanket. The edge rests on his collarbones as Ganon stuffs the blanket behind Link’s shoulders to keep it on him. Once that's done, Ganon holds Link’s clammy, flushed face between both his hands. Weights tied to Link’s eyelids refuse to let him make eye contact. At least his tears have already waned some. Ganon only has to pet them away occasionally. He rolls forward a bit in order to kiss between Link’s eyebrows.

“I'll be back soon, my little one,” Ganon murmurs to Link’s brow. “Please rest, eat some food if you can manage. You won't even notice I'm gone, and I'll be back before you know it.”

Link nods as Ganon’s hands slip away first and then the rest of him.

“What, um… what time is it, my king?”

“Dawn. I'll be back in a few hours or so.”

Under the blanket, Link holds himself and bows his head. He can't watch Ganon leave. The thought of being alone terrifies him, even though his normal state of being is solitude. This flu has knocked his world askew a bit. He's never been so ill before, never lost three whole days to feverish sleep. What if he sleeps and then never wakes? Who will care for the cuccos? Who will help Granny when everyone else is busy or brushes her off? Link turns his head to the side and rubs his cheek on the blanket. Who will care for his king? It's a selfish thought, something he rarely hears within himself. But he wants to be the one to give Ganon a place to rest his heavy head, be the one to keep Ganon company at night. Link shivers under the blanket, too hot and too cold at the same time, while recalling their last night together.

Spending every night with his king… Is that allowed? Surely Ganon would want company from someone in his harem? Perhaps… someone he fancies? Link’s aching stomach just sours at that. Envy brings a pout to his lips. Ganon is not his to have, and yet the thought of anyone else sharing Ganon’s bed just upsets him. It's a silly, feverish thought to have. He would never try to claim Ganon like that, nor anyone else. Ganon’s favor and praise is something he enjoys, though. He shies away affection purely out of habit.

Link slumps in the bed and wishes Ganon were here now, even though he would try to hide his face from the king’s kisses. So without Ganon here, Link improvises. He slips down and arranges the two pillows around him. Lying on his side, Link shoves one pillow behind him and tucks the other under his head. Next, he gathers the blanket and bundles most of it behind him. It's a poor substitute for his king’s warm body. But this way, at least he feels less alone. Rather than toss the edge of the blanket over his face, Link gathers it under his chin and hugs it to his chest, as if Ganon were behind him and holding him. Sweating and exhausted by then, Link falls asleep once more.

The next Link wakes, his cocoon of blanket and pillow breathes, showers him in warmth, and even pets his hair. Startled out of sleep this way, Link struggles for a brief moment, arms flailing. Ganon stills behind him and allows Link to tire himself out. Of course, once Link realizes Ganon is real and not some stranger from his dream or his parents with their dead eyes and crushed heads, he slumps back into the bed. Oh his parents… That had been the last dream, the last nightmare. Talking about them had brought memories of them and their deaths to the forefront of his mind. Those memories had given his ill brain plenty to play with, plenty to torture him with. But now as he lies there, eyes too dry to cry, he picks up on how steady his head is. The fog that had enveloped him during the fever is gone. He’s a bit sweaty everywhere from Ganon’s warmth and struggling in his sleep. Oh, and his entire body aches like he’d ran around the fortress ten times. Besides that, though, he’s… better. He thinks.

“You were crying in your sleep just now,” Ganon says softly behind him. “Are you okay?”

Link nods against the pillow and fights the blankets to turn towards Ganon. Ganon helps him by lifting up the arm he’d thrown over Link. Once Link is situated, Ganon quickly scoops him up again. Link doesn’t want to close his eyes and see his dead family again, so he stares at another simple, thin shirt covering Ganon’s chest. He’s still not used to seeing Ganon in clothes more likely to be worn by him. Such loose garments allow Link’s hand access to Ganon’s skin, though, so Link doesn’t complain. Ganon even gives him a tiny shiver when Link shoves his hands past the hem of Ganon’s shirt and flattens them on his chest. The silly thought flies through Link’s head that he should tug Ganon’s top up and wiggle under it, forcing both their bodies into the shirt. He giggles at the idea, truly showing just how much better he is today. Ganon’s stomach shifting against him in a little laugh makes Link warm inside. He doesn’t give Ganon any resistance when the king tips his head up by his jaw.

Cocking his head a bit on the pillow, Ganon asks again, “Are you okay?”

“Mmm. Just a… dream. Or memory. Something.”

Ganon nods at that, but doesn't press for details. The hand he'd used to tip Link’s head up slides into his hair. It's a bit heavy from oil. He could use a bath, a proper one.

“Your fever broke sometime while I was gone. Are you hungry? Feeling any better?”

“Not hungry, I don't think.” His body aches too much for him to tell if he's hungry. His stomach feels like he'd slept on it for too long. “But everything hurts. I want to get out of bed and… and walk around?”

Link smiles and stays still as Ganon holds him closer, nuzzles his hair. Oh yes, he'd definitely like a bath. His skin is tacky where Ganon holds him under the blanket. He suspects that he'd fall right back to the floor if he tried to stand. Maybe Ganon will help him… He can ask, but to burden his king further… Link squirms under Ganon’s gentle cuddling in order to get the man’s attention. Ganon doesn't seem to mind his slick hair or his tacky skin, but Link does.

“I'm not hungry, but um… I'd like a bath.”

“A bath would do your sore body good, too,” Ganon points out with his lips brushing Link’s forehead. “Are you ready to go upstairs?”

All the tension melts out of Link at that point, and he slumps against Ganon’s body. He's tired of the pressure of these underground rooms, tired of the cold scent down here like a cave. He wants Ganon’s bed, with the king in it of course, and the privacy Ganon’s bedchamber affords them. Even when they're alone, the hairs on Link’s neck stand up like someone watches them. To kiss Ganon down here or to accept a kiss from him always comes with a side of embarrassment. It's like Ganon taking his hand and speaking softly to him in front of the other kitchen staff. Too much.

“Yes,” he sighs. “I-I want to leave. I'm sorry that I caused so much trouble.”

“No trouble, Link. I'm just glad you're feeling better.” He squeezes Link tightly after that and only relaxes when Link gives a little whine. “Should we go now? Or should we lie here for a while?”

Link fusses a bit at that, wiggling and pouting where Ganon can't see him.

“I don't want to sleep anymore. I've wasted a week in bed.”

Ganon’s little smile blossoms against the skin of Link’s forehead.

“I suppose you  _ are _ unused to long periods of inactivity like this. Let’s get up, then. Do you think you can walk?”

Link instantly untangles himself from Ganon’s arms while panting, “I'll try.”

The floor is cold under his feet, and Link’s skin tightens under the long shirt keeping him modest. Ganon exits on the other side of the bed and walks around to stand near Link. He doesn't immediately offer assistance. Link wants to thank him for that, but that can wait. Link is sure even if he stands under his own power that power will give out sooner than later. He hates the thought of burdening Ganon, but how else will he leave if Ganon doesn't help him? Link braces his hands on the bed beside his thighs before trying to push himself up. He stands, but the motion is a delicate thing—a pin balanced on the tip of a quill. Ganon is near enough to catch him or upset his balance towards the bed rather than the floor. Link stands for a few seconds before plopping back to the bed. The blanket puffs up under him at his quick descent, and he pats the thing flat rather than look up at his king. He'll have to burden Ganon, the last thing he wants.

“Come here,” Ganon says softly while bending down. “Let me help you.”

With a hand on Link’s shoulder and the other gripping his chest, Ganon coaxes Link back to his feet.

“Try to take a step or two. I won't let you fall.”

He does as Ganon says, unable to deny his king anything. A part of Link, the child still within him, wants Ganon to just pick him up and carry him. The rest of Link is firmly against that for multiple reasons. It's a… silly thought. The thought of someone hopelessly fond of the other person, perhaps hopelessly in love. Link stumbles at that and stares at the bedrock under their feet. There's no way he can meet Ganon’s patient, smiling gaze right now. Ganon keeps his hands out, palms up, for Link to grab if he stumbles too hard and might fall. It reminds Link of him or his parents trying to teach his ill-fated siblings how to walk. He doesn't remember them well, can't recall even a name for any of them. That touch of sadness distracts Link from his earlier thought—the word “love” and Ganon is the same breath—and allows him to hobble along a little. He's well enough to walk, but it will be slow. He's already sweating and tired by the time they reach the door. Ganon offers him an arm to hold as they walk, and Link does not deny himself that pleasure.

They pass no one on their winding, lengthy trip back to Ganon’s bedchamber. If they had, Link surely would have tried to hide behind his king. They’d left the subterranean sick bays with Link only in his long shirt. The warm, noon air flowing outside slowly like syrup dances over Link’s bare feet and his shins. It just makes him want to bathe even more. Below, it had been a cool and constant temperature. He hopes, as they shuffle along, that a week in cool temperatures hasn't destroyed his heat tolerance. It will be difficult to build back up. He recalls his first month here, how he'd nearly collapsed every day from the thick, desert heat. It's different from the muggy heat of Hyrule Fields, but just as suffocating.

They pause in the shade of an open hallway when Link ends up leaning more of his weight on Ganon’s arm. Luckily, one of them has enough sense to know when to take a break. Ganon’s only offer of comfort for Link is a light kiss to the top of his head. Link wishes he had mastery over his voice right now to express how thankful he is. He doesn't want Ganon to coddle him or treat him differently just because he's recovering. He has some pride, damn it.

Ganon keeps close to him as they set off once more. Link follows his feet on autopilot while the room tilts around him. He needs water, food, and a place to sit. The thought of sleeping more after throwing a week away makes him grimace. This walk through the fortress may be too much for him right now, though. So sleep might be the next course of action. Still, he grimaces and resists the idea. A bath and maybe some food, first. Link sways on his feet and leans a hand on Ganon’s arm for the first time during their walk. He hopes Ganon doesn't leave again. That's a foolish thought. The king is not his, and the world continues to turn even with Link underground. His king had left this morning to tend to something. Hoping and wishing Ganon to stay by his side is… selfish. Silly. Link bottles his childish sorrow and makes sure to smooth out any sad frown that tries to bloom on his face. Ganon watches him with a caring eye the entire time Link leans on him. How could Link begin to explain all the feeling and thoughts he has for the man? Link shoots Ganon a brief smile, trying to tell him that he's okay, and then disconnects them.

He'd realized his problem sometime when he woke to Ganon sitting down with a basin to wash him. The feeling he now wrestles with had maybe always been there. It had lurked somewhere and masqueraded under the alias “devotion” and “admiration.” Link does not deny that a little bit of love lies in all their hearts for the king. He and the rulers before him have carved out paradise in the desert, protected it for centuries. Ganon provides for all of them. How could he not love Ganon a little?

Link sneaks a glance at the towering man at his side, head and gaze pointed straight down the hall. How could he not love the way Ganon smiles and laughs at anyone willing to talk to him and share a joke? How could he not love the way their king lights up when he participates in feats of strength? Link stumbles a little, and Ganon is there with an arm to catch him. The space between those thick eyebrows bunches up for a second as Ganon blinks down at him.

“Should we stop again? We can, Link, I don't mind. The bath will be there for you whenever we make it back to my bedchamber, don't worry.”

At a loss for words, or worried he'll blurt out something inappropriate, Link shakes his head and takes another step forward. Ganon lets him go, although his frown remains. Link turns his gaze towards the ground rather than face Ganon’s open, genuine concern for him. It had been easy to take in his half-lucid state. But now… it's too much. Ganon must not pick up on Link’s internal panic, though, because Link barely takes a few steps away before Ganon’s hand catches his. Ganon keeps pace beside him, doesn't stop, so Link doesn't. He angles his wide, startled gaze down the familiar hallway. If he looks at their joined hands, he might stumble again.

They're near Ganon’s bedchamber. In fact, this hall dead ends at the king’s doors. With Ganon’s huge hand cradling his, the hall extends into a thousand miles rather than the maybe ten feet they have left. Ganon does not hold him to slow him or hinder him. No, the light grip on his hand is… Link swallows hard and realizes it has no true purpose. Ganon touches him just to do it, has treated him that way the whole time. And at first, Link knows he would have pulled his hand away. It would have been too much. But now…

Lost in thought, Link startles on his feet when Ganon squeezes his hand. They have stopped outside Ganon’s bedchamber. With a warm flush rising in his cheeks, Link wonders how long they've stood there because of him. Ganon says nothing, just waits for Link to look up at him before nudging one of the doors open. He releases Link’s hand to gesture for the Hylian to enter first. It is blessedly cooler and darker in Ganon’s bedchamber than the hall outside. Link lingers near Ganon despite the bed waiting there, welcoming him. There are no court fineries for Ganon to remove, so he stands there in the torch light and waits for Link to make the first move. Link’s shoulders bunch up by his ears as he shuffles sideways towards the bath. Steam already floats out of the doorway. Someone must have drawn the water for them already. Maybe Ganon had sent word ahead of them?

Ganon shifting on his feet rips a jump out of Link that nearly sends him to the floor. He stops that embarrassing descent only because Ganon picking him up would be more humiliating than the fall itself. And Ganon would  _ have _ to pick him up. Still on edge, Link watches Ganon’s face through the cover of his bangs. His king’s smile persists, almost amused, as he watches Link back. What could he think is funny? Link takes another step towards the bath and scoops some hair out of his face. It's not as clean as he would like, but Ganon had taken care of him as best he could. It won't matter soon, because he'll be clean.

He hopes the water is hot. He needs something to soothe the terrible ache in his torso. He must have been sick indeed those first few days. Ganon had said that he and his aunts struggled to keep fluids in him… Link can only imagine how awful that must have been, someone keeping watch over him as he emptied his stomach over and over. Shuddering, Link is glad he doesn't remember anything until he'd woken to Ganon sitting down to bathe him.

Ganon lifts a fist to clear his throat, also gaining Link’s attention.

Nodding towards the bath, Ganon says softly, “I'd rather not leave you alone right now. Don't want you falling in the bath. But I won't join you, if you don't want me to.”

Link shakes his head and closes the space he'd made between them. He takes one of those lion paws that has cared so gently for him and tugs Ganon along with him. The amusement slips out of Ganon’s handsome face, but the smile lingers. Link won't risk tripping on the sandstone floor by walking backwards. Then again, he doesn't want to give his back to the king, either. Torn, Link shuffles sideways while Ganon tags along by their joined hands. Being alone, even separated physically from Ganon, isn't in his plans right now. They might not be in Ganon’s either. He'd probably offered Link solitude out of respect—respect for Link’s boundaries and personal space. He does that every time they're alone together. It's just another thing about Ganon that touches Link’s heart. If only he could gather the courage to tell him.

Once they reach the edge of the sunken bath, Link carefully takes his hand back from Ganon. Ganon wastes no time, now with both hands free, in divesting himself of the simple, out-of-place clothing he's worn this whole time. That kicks Link into gear, and he joins Ganon in stripping for the bath. Nerves shouldn't still rattle Link’s insides when inch after inch of black skin reveals itself. But just like every time before, his stomach does a few flips and his heart skips a few beats.

Link’s first instinct after all this time is to turn his head or try to stare at something else in the room. Anything else. His gaze and desires are traitorous, though, and of course he sneaks the briefest glance down Ganon’s stomach, following the trail of thick body hair. If Ganon catches him, he says and does nothing about it. Once he's completely bare, he stands there and waits for Link. Link jumps again, realizing Ganon is indeed waiting on him, and tries to take off everything at once. Link doesn't miss the tiny snort his jumping coaxes out of Ganon. At least one of them is amused by Link’s fumbling.

Link nudges his sweaty clothes away from the edge of the bath. He won't need clothes once they leave the bath. More often than not, he lies around in Ganon’s bedchamber in the nude. Link stands shivering above the water and is sure that the three times he's slept here, each was after a bath and in the nude. He wishes their last encounter here had been more pleasant. Link just remembers crying while telling his story for the first time. Ganon had held him so tightly, shushed him and assured him everything was all right.

Ganon still reassures him even now. He's already stepped into the water, but turns and waits for Link with a hand held out for him to take. It's an offer of help, silent and firm like most of Ganon’s offers. Link likes these best. Ganon can talk to him all day until his ears fall off. But a gesture like this is what gets Link’s heart skipping beats and his stomach flipping. Ganon expects nothing of him right now, but is willing to give him everything.

“Come here, my sweet one. Let me help you.”

Link nods with his fingers tangled in a knot in front of his chest. It takes him a moment to shake the nerves out of his fingers and take Ganon’s hand. Ganon guides him into the cloudy water, and Link has to blink a few times when steam billows up in his face. Ganon takes him by the shoulders and eases him down to the inner rim of the bath where they sit. Link sees him dunk a little pan in order to wet their hair, so he closes his eyes before Ganon ever gets to him. The hot water rolling through his hair like the thick fingers of his king gives Link a shiver. Once he’s soaked, Ganon says nothing as he gets to work on washing Link’s hair.

Just like all the other times, Link wants to object and offer to wash Ganon instead. But by now, their second bath together, Link knows better. So, as fingers massage his scalp, Link bobs his head to the motion. Somehow, even his scalp hurts. He's never been so seriously ill before, not even back home. He's glad he'd been unconscious for most of it and only has to deal with these remainders. At that point, Link recalls his cuccos and the kitchen, Granny. He jumps in the water and stills Ganon’s thick wrists hovering by his temples.

“Ganon,” Link says with a rough voice. “I should return to the kitchen tonight. I've been gone too long.”

Hot water pours over Link’s head as Ganon rinses him. Link scoops water out of his eyes with his fingers in order to open them and blink up at his king. A soft smile bends the older man’s face. He is… more tired than he lets on. Link's heart aches, and he doesn't try to stop himself when he lifts his hands to flatten them on Ganon’s chest.

“If you go back to work now, you may collapse,” Ganon says simply. He reaches up to hold Link by the waist, hands slipping below the water to do so. “Please. Stay with me for a few more nights. Let me make sure you're okay. Let me take care of you.”

Link’s mouth opens and closes a few times as he considers a response or two. None of them are adequate enough to express his gratitude, his fears. He doesn't want anyone to hurt his girls. They've been without him for nearly a week, now. He’s probably missed a few chicks hatching, or whoever has taken over for him has neglected to allow some of the fertilized eggs to hatch. It's a delicate balance between harvesting the cucco eggs, slaughtering some of the hens, and then allowing new chicks to make up their numbers. He has it down, but can he trust whoever has replaced him? Link grits his teeth and stares at the cloudy bath water that laps at Ganon’s body hair. He worries too much to relax, to let this go. Ganon’s hands at his waist squeeze him before gathering him up. Link ends up sitting astride Ganon’s submerged lap, and Ganon guides his head to rest below his clavicle.

“Your thoughts are so loud,” Ganon says with a laugh in his voice. He nudges Link’s head with his chin in order to get at Link’s forehead with his lips. “Don't worry so much. Everything will be okay. Your kitchen and cuccos will be exactly as you left them. Well, I can't account for how upset the little beasts will be at your absence. But they are well cared for. I promise you.”

“Will… Will you tell me who has been taking care of them? I have to thank whoever it is.”

Ganon chuckles and holds him closer, says into his damp hair, “Your gratitude is appreciated, but unnecessary.”

He says so with a grin in his voice, like this is funny. Link slumps against his king, head spinning a bit from the steam.

“No, no, I have to. It wouldn't be polite. And b-besides, I would be replaced if not for them. Please tell me who they are.”

Ganon doesn't immediately speak. Instead, he picks up a soft rag and a bar of soap. Once wet and white with lather, he gently nudges Link to sit up so that he can wash Link’s shoulders and chest. Link sits with his head angled up, trying to catch Ganon’s eye. He almost pouts, although he's not aware of it. Ganon gives him a little smile while gently washing him. It feels good, yes, but Link wants to bow his head in shame. Mother had taught him to be thankful, to show gratitude when someone does him a good deed. He wants to at least thank the person, perhaps offer to take over their duties for a few days to make up for his absence. Hopefully they're not in charge of the muck piles… Link shivers in Ganon's gentle hands and reaches up to still his king’s movements by his wrists. He shouldn't think like that. Whoever has covered him has done him a service. Link doesn't know what he'd do without his job. Sure, Ganon would find him another one. But he  **likes** the one he has. He loves his girls. Link huffs while covered in soap.

“You’re very stubborn about this…” Ganon muses while watching Link huff and pout. “I only withhold the information from you, because it might… upset or confuse you, if you knew who it was.”

Ganon splashes water to rinse Link’s skin of soap as Link asks, “Please? Whoever it is, I need to thank them. Please tell me?”

Sighing and rolling his head back to stare at the ceiling for a moment, Ganon rights himself and holds Link’s pretty face in his hands.

“It’s me, Link. I’m taking care of them.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaaaand we're done! Super sorry about the delays in publishing everything about this story. That's because I started posting before I'd finished it, which is exactly why I should never do that. But now it's done, and I think 14,000 words of porn makes up for the long delay in updates lol. Enjoy!

Link jumps in Ganon’s lap and squeaks, “What?”

His voice bounces off the walls and rings in their ears for a few seconds. Ganon snorts with one eye closed, having flinched with Link’s outburst. He holds Link’s head still as the rest of him shakes, as his hands twitch on Ganon’s chest. His king? Has been performing the lowly duties of a kitchen boy? Link could melt in shame right now. That’s too much. Ganon is… He’s their king! The most important person in the fortress. Without him, there wouldn’t  **be** a fortress. Link cowers between Ganon’s hands and stares at his king’s chest, unable to meet those golden eyes. How will he ever make it up to Ganon? He can’t… He could never gift Ganon with anything, seeing as he isn’t materialistic or lacking. His duties are far too important for Link to trade, as he’d initially planned. Link just cowers more and more between his king’s large hands, overwhelmed exactly as Ganon had warned him. So when Ganon tips his head up, Link is still too busy with his shame and staring at his hands splayed on Ganon’s chest to look at him.

“I hadn’t planned on telling you,” Ganon admits. “I had a feeling you might react this way.” He leans forward to kiss between Link’s eyebrows. “I’ve said before that I would do anything for you, sweet boy. To tend to your kitchen duties was simple. I would do it again if you needed it.”

“I just…” Link almost bites his lip, but catches himself. “I don’t understand why. You’re the most important person here. You shouldn’t have to clean a coop, feed hens… That’s…”

Ganon sighs and nudges Link’s head, wanting the poor boy’s full attention. He’s long in the face and miserable, but Ganon smiles at him anyway.

“I am perhaps the least important person here, Link. Without all of you, I wouldn’t have a purpose. If I died, you could all continue on without me.” He pets under Link’s tired, mournful eyes. “I am nothing without you. All of you. I would gladly perform anyone’s job in the fortress, just so that their job was secure. I had no idea about this… replacement business. I’ll see to it that it stops immediately.”

Link perks up in Ganon’s hands and asks, “Really? You will?”

“Yes. I don’t know how things got so twisted up under my nose. Maybe it’s always been this way. But it can be better. I want it to be better for you. For everyone.”

Nodding a little, Link reaches up to cover the backs of Ganon’s hands with his. They’re both pruned from the hot bath, and another dizzy spell creeps up on Link as they sit there.

“I hope that… you aren’t upset with me,” Ganon says with a sheepish smile. “I promise no harm came to your cuccos. Even when they pecked me, which hurts a lot, by the way.”

Link lifts up a hand and wiggles his scarred fingers Ganon’s way.

“Yes, it does. Wearing gloves helps, if you can stand the heat and the sweat.”

Ganon chuckles and slips his hands down to play with Link’s hair.

“I could not. They were only a little angry that first day. It probably didn’t help that I was worried and pacing a lot. It probably fed into their nervous nature.”

Link nods and blushes a bit. He’s still trying to wrap his head around Ganon making such a sacrifice for him. Just the time alone he has used to care for the hens… Link rocks forward on his thighs still draped over Ganon’s lap and cuddles up to him. Ganon only tenses for a second before holding him tightly. Over the thick line of Ganon’s shoulder, Link blinks lazily at the room as his face heats up more and more.

It is an accepted truth that all who work and live in the fortress hold love for their king. At least a little bit of love, admiration at a minimum. It’s something Link thinks about with increasing frequency since first crawling into Ganon’s bed. That little bit of love for Ganon has also increased. Link admits that… perhaps his love for their king is a bit more than appropriate. Link lifts his arms out of the water to hold Ganon tightly around the neck. This way, he can hide his blush and excuse the way he trembles in Ganon’s arms. He’s just cold is all…

“I think we’ve overdone it a bit with the bath,” Ganon murmurs in his ear. “Stand up, and I’ll clean the rest of you. We can lie down for a while and build your strength back up.”

Link nods and squeezes Ganon while they still hold each other.

“Thank you,” he whispers, heart full and ready to burst. “Thank you, my king. For everything.”

Ganon’s chest rumbles against his with a hum, and a warm hand pets up and down Link’s back to comfort him.

“Anything, my treasure. Anything for you.”

Link fights his blush, but hopes Ganon just thinks his cheeks are red from the hot water. Link stands when Ganon’s hands slip under the water to squeeze his hips. His knees shake a bit as he stands, so Link holds Ganon by the shoulders. He jumps and squeaks a little whenever Ganon washes anything sensitive, tickles him on accident. Or on purpose, as he finds out when Ganon rolls his thumb over the jut of a hipbone. He’s especially ticklish there, and Link digs his nails into black skin in order to not topple back into the water. Ganon knows when Link has had too much, though, and kisses the center of his chest as a sort of apology. When his hands, slippery with soap, reach for Link’s thighs and privates, Link stops him with a hard flinch.

“Should I stop?”

Link knows Ganon doesn’t mean anything sexual about this. He’s still recovering. And despite Ganon’s natural flirty nature, Link trusts Ganon doesn’t mean to arouse him right now. The whole mood is different, almost sterile in comparison to their second night together. That bath they’d shared was heavy with intent from the beginning. The only intent in his king right now is to wash Link like he so desperately wants. Link blushes a little under Ganon’s waiting gaze, though. He… He wouldn’t mind some intimacy… Ganon is so gentle and considerate of his desires. The thought of them cuddling together, maybe a few kisses turning into something more… Link swallows hard and releases one of Ganon’s shoulders. His left hand finds one of Ganon’s wrists without looking and guides that hand back to his belly, just above his cock. Ganon says nothing, so Link gathers his weak voice in order to speak.

“No, you don’t have to. You can… touch me.”

A chuckle tickles Link’s ears and lifts the peach fuzz on him.

“I didn’t mean it like that.” Ganon’s thumb below Link’s navel twitches. “I’m sorry if I arouse you a little while washing you. I really don’t mean to do that to you.”

Link gives a tiny shake of his head.

“Don’t be. It’s, um, it’s okay if you do. I um…”

Ganon must read his blushing and squirming for what it is. He says nothing while lathering the soft cloth again and wiping it down Link’s right thigh and then his left. He stops where the water laps at the knobs of Link’s knees and then repeats the process on the backs of his legs. The cloth scratches over the perfect skin of his ass, and Link shivers again. His knees wobble with that shiver. It's a warning that he should hold on or calm down. Maybe both.

Link slaps his hand back to Ganon’s shoulder in order to hold on. His head spins again from the steam and how ridiculous he’s being. He knows he needs rest! But damn it, he’s been stuck in bed for nearly a week! It’s degrading and awful, and he just wants a bit of normality in his life again. Ganon has become a normal facet of his life. And sure, they’ve only had sex twice, but… Link grips Ganon’s shoulders harder when the man’s wandering, washing hand slides closer to the V of his legs. He wants this. He wants to forget his week of illness, his worry over his job and his cuccos. He wants Ganon to touch him. Just a little bit.

Link’s knees shake even harder once Ganon tosses the rag into the water and lathers up his right hand instead. He steadies Link by a hip with his left. In order not to collapse on Ganon or into the water, Link makes sure to bend his knees and hold on to his king’s shoulders. Link jumps hard and almost slips anyway when Ganon leans forward enough to kiss along his collarbones. The thought that springs up in Link’s mind is that’s the first place Ganon had touched him when they first lied down together. That thought splatters on the inside of his skull the next second when his king’s rough, familiar hand wraps around his cock and squeezes. Link chokes on the inhale caught in his mouth, but belts out a moan as Ganon starts to wash him.

The caress is intimate, of course, but Ganon doesn’t tease him. He skates that thin line between a caress that is functional and one that has intent. Link tries to keep his hips still, unsure if Ganon has taken his permission and desires to heart. That first squeeze could have been playful—or maybe an accident. Ganon is an attentive lover, but also must know that Link needs this bath. Wiping him down from a basin can only do so much. Link’s skin doesn’t crawl like it had on their trip up here, and the spaces between his legs are the last bits of him needing soap and water. Ganon leans forward once again to kiss and bite across Link’s collarbones, though, and he begins to rethink his king’s intentions. When Ganon chuckles against his skin and slips thick fingers behind his balls, that’s the moment Link is sure.

Words try to squeak out of Link’s chapped lips, but they don’t make it far. He’s too busy choking back moans and trying not to fall over. Ganon’s teeth at his skin do not bite and bruise like Link wants. Their sharp edges test his skin, giving him a taste of what could be. Meanwhile, Link squirms on his feet as thick fingers pet soap around his hole and up the crack of his ass. Link is thankful for the wash, but he also wants Ganon to touch him more. The last time they'd done this, he tensed and whimpered at pressure applied to his rim. Ganon had stopped that and touched him elsewhere. This time, though…

Hand shaking, Link reaches for Ganon's arm and whimpers, “Please. Just… Just a little. Please…”

A long exhale from Ganon chills the moist skin of Link’s chest, but the king says nothing. Link thinks maybe that will be the end of their bath, that maybe Ganon will pick him up and declare him clean. Instead, Ganon wraps his free arm around Link’s waist and tugs him closer. Link has to shuffle with Ganon’s legs between his feet, but he moves as commanded. Heart bouncing around along with his stomach, Link loops his arms around Ganon's neck to hold on. He isn't sure what's happening until pressure bullies between his cheeks and threatens to dip inside him.

Link jerks against Ganon's body and hides little gasps and moans in his wet hair. If Ganon murmurs for him to relax, Link doesn't acknowledge it. Some part of him must hear the command, however, because Link’s resistance gives, and the tip of a thick finger slips into him. It hurts with just soap. It's new and could be exciting, but for now it hurts. Link keeps that sensation to himself and stands still for Ganon. When the pain inside him shifts with Ganon’s finger moving a bit, Link tenses right back up.

“I should stop,” Ganon says between kisses to Link’s skin. “I'm hurting you.”

Link shakes his head and holds Ganon tighter around the neck.

“N-no, I'm okay. It doesn't hurt that much.”

“It shouldn't hurt at all.”

Link’s ears dip down, and he hides his disappointed frown in Ganon’s hair.

“I'm sorry.”

Ganon sighs and gives a test wiggle of his finger. Link squirms a little, but it still hurts.

“Don't be. I shouldn't be doing this to you right now anyway. You're still recovering.”

“I said it was okay,” Link points out with a light tug on Ganon’s hair. The pressure and weight of something inside him is still odd. The longer Ganon stays still, the less it hurts. “It doesn't hurt much now. You don't have to stop.”

Ganon’s laugh shakes Link a bit, and he cranes his head up enough to press a long kiss to Link’s neck.

“Your tenacity will never cease to amaze me.”

Before Link has a chance to ask what Ganon means by that, he slips out and leaves Link empty and aching. Link opens his mouth to object, but Ganon lifts him up by his thighs and carries him out of the bath. Link squirms and fusses in Ganon’s arms, accidentally rubbing himself all over Ganon’s chest. So when the king lets out a laugh louder than the others, Link wiggles harder. Ganon almost drops him, too caught up in his mirth, but his big hands hold fast to Link’s thighs. He sets Link down despite Link’s attempt at wrapping his legs around Ganon to cling to him.

Ganon holds Link close and kisses all over his face until Link’s little pout disappears. Those friendly kisses lighten Link’s heart and draw a smile out of him. He hadn't wanted to stop. He wants Ganon, wants to experience new things with him. His body just won't cooperate. Now that they're standing and out of the water, though, Link’s dizziness kicks into high gear.

“I've got you,” Ganon murmurs as Link’s knees finally give out. “Let’s get you dry and back into bed, hmm?”

Link’s forehead slaps the muscle of Ganon’s upper arm as it rolls forward. He whines with his face hiding, “I don't want to sleep anymore.”

“We don't have to sleep. But we should lie down. You're only standing because I'm holding you up.”

Ganon says so with a laugh in his voice, so Link smiles at the teasing. Link cooperates as Ganon dries him, if only to speed this part up. He doesn’t want to sleep, and he means that from the bottom of his heart. But lying down with his king in the privacy of his bedchamber… Link blushes in the safety of the towel draped over his head. Ganon squeezes water out of his hair, hair that needs a trim probably. He’ll worry about that later. For now, Link just hums occasionally as Ganon drying him nudges him around on his feet.

Link keeps a hand plastered to Ganon’s chest for balance. When the towel slip away and Ganon falls to a knee to dry Link’s legs, Link holds on to his shoulder instead. The muscles under black skin shift with each movement. Ganon is always so warm to the touch, and Link doesn’t notice when he pets his fingers over flawless skin. He could have used Ganon’s warmth while fighting his fever. Link doesn’t remember much from those days—only the persistent chill. A familiar hand cupping his jaw and tilting his pretty face up draws Link out of those thoughts. Ganon takes in his vacant expression and thins his mouth in concern.

“Talk to me,” he says softly. “What’s wrong?”

The corners of Link’s lips tick up as he explains, “I just remember being cold when I was really sick. And I’m… not anymore. You’re here, and I’m not cold.”

His words don’t make much sense, and Link knows that. He watches Ganon’s face pinch a bit as he combs over the words and comes up with nothing. Link shuffles forward and wraps his arms around the king’s neck. Ganon is mostly dry from standing here and toweling Link off, so Link doesn’t mind their skin touching. It won’t delay them lying down and relaxing. That’s what he’s wanted since first waking and realizing where he was. He just wants everything to be normal again. Link gathers words in his mouth in order to explain that in a better way that his first attempt.

“I’m just happy to be here with you. Being down there and sick, I… I didn’t like it. I just want to be here and go back to work.”

The arms around him tighten, one even pets his back, and Ganon says, “You will. Not right now, but everything will go back to normal soon. And you can always talk to me if you need to. About anything, okay?”

Link nods and opens his mouth to thank his king. Ganon steals the words out of Link’s mouth when he sweeps the young man off his feet and makes for the bed. Link clings to Ganon’s neck and hides a yelp at first and then a smile once he figures out Ganon’s intentions. Ganon must enjoy picking him up and holding him like this. He does it often enough… Link thinks he would kick and wiggle if it were anyone else. But he trusts his king with everything, knows Ganon would never take advantage of that trust. Link nuzzles his cheek in the swell of his king’s breast and gives a hum of approval when Ganon lays him down. Link’s body aches when he stretches out, remembering how he'd lost so many days in bed. Link fusses as Ganon digs a knee into the mattress to climb in. Link meets his king’s eyes when Ganon doesn't lie down, just kneels there watching him with an eyebrow cocked.

“I um… My body still hurts.”

“Still?” Ganon sits on a thigh with his legs curled up to the side. He reaches out with one hand to pet up and down Link’s arm. “I thought the bath might help your aches. Do you want me to get you anything? Medicine?”

Sighing, Link shakes his head and curls up on his right side, facing Ganon.

“No more medicine. Please.”

Ganon hums at that and watches Link for a moment. Link’s blood still runs a little hard from the excitement earlier, so he closes his eyes rather than watch Ganon look at him. His body aches, especially his lower back and ribs, but he recognizes desire when it simmers within him. Ganon touching him doesn't help. He won't deny his king, though. Ganon scoots closer to him, but Link still doesn't open his eyes. When Ganon nudges him to roll over, onto his front, Link complies with only a little whine.

The bed dips and rocks as Ganon shifts about on his knees. Link hides a smile in the pillow under him and lifts his arms to curl around his head. Laughter builds in him as Ganon hums and continues to move. What is his king doing? Link would crack open an eye, but he knows his king’s intense gaze would catch him, and then Link would be lost to blushing and stuttering even more. Even with his eyes closed, a surprised whine squeaks out of him when lips kiss a path across his shoulders. Link holds tightly to the pillow until Ganon’s lips leave him.

“Don't get up,” he murmurs in Link’s twitching ear. “I'm going to grab something from the bath, and I'll be right back.”

Link gives him a little nod. With Link’s permission, Ganon crawls to the edge of the bed, and then his weigh leaves the mattress entirely. It's only then that Link cracks a hazy eye open. He watches Ganon’s naked back as the man walks silently into the bathing chamber. The click of glass hitting glass tickles Link’s ear, and he turns his head fully to watch the doorway. Ganon reappears soon enough, hair tied back and a few bottles in hand. They're quaint and corked, each full of something clear. Link goes to push himself up to get a better look, but Ganon is at his side quick enough and urges him back down.

“I said don't get up, my treasure,” Ganon reminds him lowly and with a smile. “Let me take care of you.”

The suggestion in Ganon’s voice calls up more blood in Link’s cheeks. He nods and settles back down with Ganon’s hand still on his shoulder. Link eyes the bottles in Ganon’s hand before turning his curious gaze on the king.

“What are those?”

If they're medicine, he might try to leave. He'd told Ganon as firmly as he could that he didn't want medicine. Ganon climbs up on the bed again and sits on his knees by Link’s hips. His soft smile and hooded eyes drain Link of his suspicions. Ganon would never force medicine on him. He would never force anything on Link, for that matter. A few drops of shame taint Link’s stomach, and he almost hides his face from his king. Ganon watches him quietly, watches the plethora of emotions that cross Link’s face, before speaking.

“You asked for no medicine, so I grabbed the next best thing. If your body hurts and a hot bath didn't ease that pain, then perhaps a massage will.”

He lowers the little bottles in his hands to the bed and picks one back up by the cork.

“It's warming oil. I use it on myself when I've pulled a muscle or strained myself. The others are…” Ganon glances at them and seems to hesitate. “Well… I grabbed them in case the situation calls for them. But no medicine, as you requested.”

Link isn't sure what that means, but he blushes and nods where he lies.

“A… A massage sounds nice, um… But you don't have to, I've bothered you enough.”

Link’s excuses fall silent as Ganon shifts again, bottle of oil in hand. His legs are warm when he straddles Link’s thighs, and Link almost bites his tongue when his mouth snaps shut. Too much time has passed since they were last intimate. He's forgotten how warm Ganon’s skin is, the pressure of weight above or beside him that's full of intent. Sleeping with Ganon in the sick bay had been different. Link could barely tell his head from his ass at that time. But now with his head clear of illness and fog, the rest of him calls out to the body behind him.

Link peeks over his shoulder to watch Ganon settle and coax the cork out of the bottle. From this distance, Link can't tell if it smells like anything. He jumps and whines a little when the oil pours out of the bottle and pools in the dip of his spine. His king makes a pleased sound at Link’s whining and squirming. When Ganon judges enough oil pools on Link’s skin, he corks the bottle again and sets it aside with the others. Warm hands squeeze Link’s shoulders and ease him flat on the bed, right where Ganon wants him. Link goes willingly and lies motionless once Ganon’s hands slip away.

“This should feel warm, but let me know if it's too much. Or if you're uncomfortable. Okay?”

Link nods in the circle of his arms and tries to stay loose. He doesn't want Ganon to misinterpret his tense muscles as reluctance.

Ganon shifts behind him, getting comfortable on his knees that straddle Link’s thighs. The oil is slick and warm indeed under Ganon’s palms as he spreads it around. There’s no pressure yet, just Ganon oiling up his skin. The odd warmth soaking into Link’s back from the oil is almost as good as the bath. But Link knows there’s more to come, especially when Ganon’s huge hands still above the wings of Link’s shoulder blades.

Ganon shuffles once more and asks, “Where does it hurt the most?”

“Mmm… My lower back. And my ribs, but I—”

Link’s words crumble to their knees as a moan flies out of his mouth. Ganon’s thumbs dig into his back, near the dimples above his ass. He somehow knows exactly where the muscles bind up and refuse to relax. Ganon’s other fingers stretch out and away from his spine, squeezing with every stroke up. It’s Ganon’s thumbs, though, that coax groans out of Link. He tries to bottle them, instantly embarrassed and flushed bright pink up to his hairline. He wants to bury his face in the pillow under him, but he must breathe while Ganon touches him or he’ll pass out.

The bed rocks a bit with the force behind Ganon’s hands. Link’s messy brain can’t help but relate that rocking motion to something else, to something he wants but doesn’t know how to get. Everything below Link’s navel clenches hard in anticipation. His rim still buzzes a little from Ganon washing him, giving him a taste test of fingers inside him. Link focuses on his skin coming alive like in the bath as Ganon coaxes his muscles out of their knots. He quiets a little, then, but Ganon murmuring lowly into his ear makes him moan again.

“You don’t have to be quiet.” Ganon kisses the long point of Link’s ear just to see him squirm. “I want to hear you, my treasure.”

Just as before when Ganon had told him to moan aloud, Link mumbles back, “It’s embarrassing…”

Ganon hums against his ear and rubs particularly hard in the middle of Link’s back. Some of the ache in his ribs disappears, but that energy flows south and pools in his belly instead.

“I love the sounds you make,” Ganon tells him. “They let me know I’m not hurting you. That you’re enjoying this. I’ll worry you don’t want this if you’re quiet.”

Face blushing darker than before, Link’s ears tip down as he forces out, “I’ll… try.”

A smile blooms against Link’s ear as Ganon adds at last, “And no biting yourself.”

Link’s mouth opens to reply, to promise that he won’t. But Ganon’s fingers curl around his shoulders, thumbs rolling hard at the nape of his neck, and Link’s words scatter to the pillow. He gasps and moans instead, almost tenses under Ganon’s hands. It doesn’t hurt, because his king would never hurt him, but it’s rough. Ganon lightens up a bit and tries again when Link relaxes. Less pressure turns Link into a puddle under the heavy, warm weight of his king.

Eyes softly closed, Link’s lips remain parted ever so lightly to let out every whine Ganon squeezes out of him. He hadn’t even known his neck ached until now, until Ganon found the ache and began rubbing it out with his thumbs. The palms of Ganon’s rough hands flatten on Link’s back, too, and when his fingers tire of squeezing, the heels of his palms get to work. With his weight above and following the line of his straight arms, Ganon has no problem applying pressure between Link’s shoulder blades. Each push knocks air and a whine out of Link, and Ganon’s pleased smile goes unnoticed by him.

The hot drag of thick fingers down Link’s back rips a shiver out of him. He’s not cold, not even a little. His toes curl too hard for a chill to creep into them. His front is smothered into the bed, which he’s thankful for. Ganon may have intended to arouse him like this, but Link flushes even darker still at the evidence caught hard and hot under him. Ganon won’t care. He’d probably find Link’s arousal funny or pleasing, knowing his flirty king.

Despite that, Link swallows hard and tries to keep as still as he can. Ganon focusing on his mid and lower back again has him rocking into the bed, though. It feels good in more ways that one, but it’s not enough to make a mess of anything. Link makes sure to lock his hips in place and not give in to the slick desire begging him to roll his body to Ganon’s motions above him. Those warm hands grab him by the hips, though, and Ganon must notice how tense he is.

“Should I stop? Am I hurting you?”

He squeezes Link’s hips for emphasis. Link relaxes into the bed again, one hot cheek facing up, and shakes his head. Ganon hums at that and continues, not changing the pressure of his hands. The dips in the mattress from his knees travel down as Ganon backs away. Link almost sits up, almost gives him a tiny sound of distress. Rough fingertips pet over his naked ass and then the backs of his thighs. Link jumps at the contact, but makes no move to stop his king. Ganon’s warmth soaks into Link’s calves and the wrinkled backs of his ankles. He curls his toes a few times to chase heat back into them. A flick of the blanket trapped under him covers them. Ganon must have seen him wiggling. Once that’s done, Ganon returns his attention to Link’s thighs, brushing his calloused palms along the outsides, sweeping over Link’s rear, and then petting the backs of them. A few squeezes up and down Link’s thighs have him bottling moans again. He doesn’t ache there, but it’s too good to ask Ganon to stop.

Such attention to a sensitive area on him has… consequences. The heat that pools in his belly takes a spark, and Link is sure he’s rubbing a wet spot into the blanket. The weight of his body lying on his cock and the gentle rocking of the bed tease him. If Ganon were to flip him over right now, Link might faint from blushing too hard. Ganon is just trying to soothe his aching muscles… Although earlier he’d said he wanted to hear Link’s sounds… Is this meant to be arousing? Ganon massaging his thighs toes that line between something sensual and something meant to help him.

Link swallows hard as Ganon dragging his hands up the backs of his pale thighs sends him scooting a bit against the bed. Maybe Ganon knows exactly what all these little nudges are doing to him. His king is so clever, so well versed in the language of bodies and passion. Link bottles a few terrible, breathy moans as his king’s hands return to his rear. Thick fingers and work-hardened palms cup the bottoms of his cheeks at the top of each stroke. That’s surely meant to arouse him. Something inside Link throbs at every caress, and he wishes Ganon would just touch him. Just a little, anything!

After one more, dragging squeeze up Link’s thighs, Ganon pauses. His warm hands curl around the sides of Link’s rear, thumbs petting back and forth. If Ganon were to hold him a little higher up, he’d tickle the knobs of Link’s hipbones. Link wiggles anyway and glances over his shoulder, wondering why Ganon has stopped. He watches his king scoot down the bed even farther in order to lie down on his front. Their eyes don’t meet, and Link suspects Ganon isn’t aware of him watching.

Link’s eyes widen a bit at his king settles down and rubs the scruff of his beard against one cheek. The pale skin pinks under such attention. Link’s eyebrows climb up near his hairline when Ganon hums deep in his chest and pecks a few kisses to the skin he’s rubbed pink. Mouth falling open, Link orders the words in his mouth to ask what Ganon is doing. They’re knocked back down his throat when sharp teeth nip at his ass, followed by more kisses.

“M-my king, ah…”

Dark eyes peer up from under Ganon’s heavy brow with the next bite.

“Yes?”

Link keeps his head twisted around, but he doesn’t meet Ganon’s burning eyes while wiggling again.

“You… You can, um…”

Ganon hums and switches to the other cheek, skipping straight to biting Link. It’s not enough to hurt, but the edges of Ganon’s teeth light up Link’s skin. He arches back a bit, not meaning to present himself like this, but it feels good. He’s not sure what to do, how to ask for what he wants. He’s not even sure  **what** he wants, besides what they’ve already done in the bath. That had hurt just enough to make him nervous, but he’s much more relaxed now. Link buries his face in the pillow and rocks back a bit more, arches his hips up just slightly. He doesn’t want to imagine what this must look like to his king. A smirk blooms against his rear before one last bite, and then Ganon sits up on his elbows.

“I can what?” He pinches a cheek, just enough to make Link jump. “Tell me.”

His ears blush up to the tips at the deep purr of his king’s voice. That may be an impossible request. Link tries other ways than his weak voice to get his desire across. The blanket wrinkles under Link as he tries to get up on his knees. Ganon’s weight pins him down, though. He huffs and wiggles in Ganon’s hands. Another pinch to the other cheek rips a yelp and jump out of him. Ganon just laughs warmly at him and fondles the pain away.

Both hands on Link’s cheeks, Ganon squeezes them much like he’d done to Link’s shoulders earlier. Syrupy warmth swirls in Link’s stomach, and his blood roars in his ears. Link arches up on his elbows as he rolls his body back. His mouth drops open when thumbs pry his cheeks apart. He knows his king must be looking at him, at a part of himself even he’s never seen before. A cool gust of air blows out of the tight O of Ganon’s lips.

Mouth shoved against his own arm, Link finally lets out the loud moan Ganon has wanted all along.

“Oh, I see,” Ganon murmurs deeply with his mouth still precariously close. Each word puffs against Link’s skin, between his cheeks. “Is this what you wanted?”

Rocking back into Ganon’s hands, Link presses his forehead to his own arm and whimpers, “Please.”

Another hum vibrates against his skin. Slow, lazy kisses follow that hum. Every exhale from his king blows over his ass. Link almost bites his lip when he tenses, clenching up tightly where he knows Ganon is watching. Another cool gust of air between his cheeks confirms that.

“Please!” Link begs from under his arm. “Please, please t-touch me. Anything, anything, my king, please.”

The biting scratch of beard rubs against his cheek before Ganon murmurs, “Anything? Are you sure?”

Link’s fingers claw at the pillow under him, and he nods.

“I-I trust you. I want you, just please… please…”

Ganon’s next hum is more like a moan caught in his mouth. It makes Link shiver at how deep it is.

“That’s lovely, my treasure. Won’t you say that again, for me?”

Face completely on fire, Link clears his mouth of saliva before blurting out, “I want you.”

At first, he isn’t sure that’s what Ganon had wanted to hear. But the kisses return to his cheeks, plotting a course to dive between them. Link doesn’t spare a thought or lewd image in his head as to what Ganon will do to him like this. His encounters with sexual acts have all been second hand, from the outside looking in. He’s seen someone do something similar to a girl once, but her rear hadn’t been her partner’s focus. Nerves enter the heated mix in Link’s stomach as he wonders what his king will do, how it will feel. Will it even feel good? He’s had a bath moments before, but it’s this unsanitary? What if—

“Ahhh! Hahh, oh, oh please, please,” Link nearly shouts at the warm, wet lap of tongue over his hole. He trembles in Ganon’s hands and begs repeatedly, “Please, please, please…”

The sounds are terrible, so Link whines to cover them up. He pants and jerks on the bed with each lazy pass between his cheeks. He would spare a hope that Ganon doesn’t think he’s uncomfortable, but he can’t think of much other than the tongue paying such lavish attention to him. He jumps especially hard at the first stab to his rim. It doesn’t hurt, not by a long shot. His king somehow knows he’s more sensitive in some places than others.

Ganon reads each hitch in his breath and each tremble like they’re words written on a page. He hums while he works, head moving gently from side to side while his tongue trails up. The rub of Ganon’s beard on his ass will surely turn the whole thing bright pink. That just gives Link ideas about spanking and paddling, and he gushes harder where he’s trapped against the bed. Any idea right now might send him over the edge. His whimpers and jumps take on a note of desperation, and that’s the only thing that has Ganon pausing his worship.

“Shhh, I’ve got you, you’re okay.” He pecks a few kisses to Link’s cheeks, smiling at his quiet gasps. “Too much?”

Link’s little head shake somehow makes it to Ganon’s glimmering eyes.

“Okay.” He kisses Link a few more times before sitting up. “Let’s roll you over, then. I’m not finished with you, yet.”

A delicious promise lies in those words, and Link doesn’t put forth any objection to them. Link is boneless when Ganon wraps his hands around the young man’s hips. He receives no help from the kitchen boy while turning him over, but he doesn’t mind. A soft smile waits on Ganon’s face as he rolls Link. The poor thing is dazed, eyes out of focus and fingers curled up loosely above his head. He’s a delicious, tempting sight with a pink blush bleeding down his throat and squirming a little on his back. Link’s arms drag down the bed slowly from above his head. His hands flinch down as if to cover himself, but Ganon gently bats his trembling hands away. From his perch above Link’s body, everything is pink and perfect. Beautiful.

Straddling Link’s knees, Ganon bends towards the three bottles still on the bed and grabs a new one. Link blinks up at him with blue eyes a bit clearer, now, but with little understanding in them. Ganon just keeps on smiling at his kitchen boy while popping the cork on the new bottle and dumping the contents in his mouth. A swish of the stinging liquid inside will clean his mouth so that he can kiss Link as they continue their activities. He’d normally spit everything out, but there’s no harm in swallowing it. It’s not the first time, won’t be the last. That done, Ganon tosses the bottle away, swoops down, and gently slots his mouth against Link’s. Link stays still for a few kisses before it all clicks.

He whines beautifully against Ganon’s lips as they move together, mouths pulling away and darting back at each other. His arms are weak things when they lift up to encircle Ganon’s neck. Link wiggles and strains to free his legs from between Ganon’s. Once they are, his legs snake around Ganon’s torso to drag him down. Ganon laughs against his mouth and comes willingly, pinning Link to the bed beneath him. It’s a pleasant sort of weight, the exact thing Link wants.

This little bit of action steals the strength Link has built up, though. His mouth turns sloppy, tongue lazy as their kisses wind down. Link’s head flops into the pillow mid-kiss as everything gives out. Ganon just smiles down at him and bends closer to kiss his cheek. He trails kisses down to Link’s neck and slips a hand between them, eager to paw at the wetness collected around Link’s prick. At the first graze of fingers, though, Link jumps and grabs at Ganon’s arm.

“W-wait, wait, please,” he pants.

Ganon’s hand slips away immediately, and he tries to sit up some. He doesn’t get far with Link’s other arm still clinging to him.

“What? What’s wrong?”

The worry on Ganon’s face, pulling his eyebrows together and widening his eyes, catches Link off guard. He hadn’t thought his outburst sounded so panicky, but apparently that’s the case.

“N-nothing, nothing, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that.” Link turns his head a bit, showing off his blush. “I, um… I don’t want to stop. To… finish.”

Lips slightly parted, Ganon blinks down at Link and watches his blush increase. It takes him a moment to piece that together with Link stopping his hand for him to figure it out.

“Oh,” he says softly. “Okay. As long as I’m not hurting you. I don’t want to tire you out.”

Link shakes his head and finally releases Ganon’s arm. He loops it around Ganon’s neck again and pulls his king closer. It’s warmer this way.

Glancing from under his bangs, still painfully shy, Link promises, “I’m fine. I just… I want you.” He squeezes Ganon’s hips between his thighs. “I want you like… like before. In the bath?”

Link’s words must tickle his king’s humor, because the man slowly grins at him.

“Do you, now?”

Link nods, but doesn’t meet those hooded eyes.

“Anything for you, my treasure.” Ganon kisses Link’s burning cheek and then the corner of his mouth. “Just so that I know exactly what you want, you want me to touch you like before? Or something else?”

Link’s head flinches up to return Ganon’s little kiss. They’re cheek to cheek when Link glances up at him.

“Something else. I… I don’t know how to ask or-or what to say.”

Ganon nods against Link’s cheek and turns his head enough to kiss and nuzzle him.

“As much as I would love to tease you, you’ll never get what you want if I do that,” he says with a little grin.

Link nuzzles him back and sighs in his ear.

“I, um… I see my barrack mates at night sometimes. I’ve never done it myself…”

“As you’ve said,” Ganon points out, unable to stop his widening grin. Of course he knows what the boy wants, but this is as close to Link asking for sex as he’ll get.

Link ducks his head to hide in the crook of Ganon’s neck. Ganon does him one better and lies back down, not forcing Link to meet his eyes. This shouldn’t be so difficult! Link’s doesn’t wake nightly to the activities of his fellow servants. But they tangle together enough for Link to grow curious, for desire to sew deep seeds in him. If only he could act and move without hesitation. Like they do. Like Ganon does. Link cuddles right up to him and holds on with arms and legs looped tightly around him, wishing this were easier.

“I don’t mean to watch,” he admits quietly. “Honest. I just wake up and they’re… moving together, touching each other. I want that with you.”

“You will,” Ganon murmurs lowly. “You can. We’ll do whatever you want, my little one.”

Link nudges Ganon away, enough for their eyes to meet, before he requests, “Can we face each other? I want to hold on to you and… and we can’t if I’m, well…”

“Anything for you. We’ll do whatever you want, however you want.”

Blushing up a storm again, Link ducks his head back down to hide in Ganon’s shoulder. Ganon chuckles into his hair. Link’s shyness is as charming and endearing as the first moment they’d met. The amused king loops his arms around Link’s back and goes to lift him up. Link hums and squeezes him tighter, but doesn’t put up a fuss. Ganon lifts them both with just his legs and knee walks up to the headboard. All the while, he ducks his head down to tickle Link’s ears with kisses and laugh softly into his hair.

His light mood coaxes Link out of hiding, and the kitchen boy even returns some of his kisses. The only tricky part of this maneuvering is Ganon swinging them around until his back hits the headboard. He groans and some of his joints pop at that, but he settles them without any mess. It takes a bit of prodding and tickling to loosen Link’s limbs around him. He distracts Link with slow, lazy kisses while spreading his legs and getting Link to straddle his lap. Link stays up on his knees, unsure if he is allowed to—or should—sit.

Warm hand petting up and down Link’s back, Ganon murmurs to him, “Is this okay? If I take you like this? This way is easier on you, lets you control how fast we go.”

Link doesn't understand why that's the case until he glances down. Caught between their bodies, their half-hard cocks lie waiting. Oh, so… He’ll sit down on Ganon, then? Link almost bites his lip while thinking about it. When he wakes in the middle of the night, his barrack mates are always chest-to-chest, curling over each other. He's never seen them like this, but he instantly prefers this way. Link shuffles on his knees while staring down, admiring them almost pressed together. He always forgets how much bigger Ganon is than him—in every sense of the word. He wants to rock forward a bit and rub them together, but Ganon has other plans for them.

Instead, he just blinks down at the shiny wetness gathering at the head of his king’s prick. Of course this isn't the first time he's seen Ganon, but up close like this still takes his breath away. That cock had thrust and come between his thighs last time they had sex. Link recalls that time with a little squirm and a hard nod in reference to Ganon’s question. It had felt impossibly huge between his thighs, so how will it feel or even fit inside him? Hands at Ganon’s shoulders, Link pulls them closer together so that he can quit staring down at their laps. He wants this, wants his body to cooperate. He can do this.

“Okay,” he murmurs against Ganon’s shoulder, still holding on. “I'm ready.”

The chest brushing his jumps as Ganon laughs and says, “You are not. If I tried to take you right now, it would hurt. And you're tense again.”

“Sorry…”

His hair flattens a little when Ganon kisses it.

“Don't be. I know you must be nervous, maybe a little scared. But please know that I would never hurt you. Not on purpose, and especially not like this. I want you to enjoy this. It would break my heart if you never wanted me again after this, all because of us going too fast.”

“You have to, um… Start small,” Link says, trying not to make that into a question. He has to draw upon his terribly naive understanding of sex, the even smaller understanding he has of sex between two men. “So your… your fingers first?”

He says so with a blush, aroused and embarrassed that he's wrong, but another kiss to his hair has him peeking up.

“The massage helped. And what I've already done. But yes, that's what we’ll start with. After that, we’ll see if you're relaxed and comfortable enough for the rest of me.”

Link nods. He can't forget how big Ganon is, and he worries they might not reach that point right now. Oh, but he wants that. He’ll try as hard as he can to relax, to do whatever is necessary to finally have his king. Ganon’s murmured words their very first time, of his not acquainting Link with his body that night, ring in Link’s ears. Tonight is that night. Link has never wanted to disappoint Ganon, and that truth holds firmly right now. Still, he'd like to know what happens if they can't coax his body into relaxing…

“And… and if it still hurts?” He asks. “Even after we do all that?”

“Then I stop, and we do something else or stop completely. I can't force myself on you, Link. Well, I won't.”

Sighing, Link rubs his blushing cheek into black skin and murmurs, “I’ll try. I want you, my king. I promise I do.”

The hand lazily petting his back slips up to hold the nape of his neck. Link sags a bit against Ganon’s chest at the pressure. It’s like the moment a headache subsides and he can think again. Link hums and keeps still under that gentle hold, wishing that Ganon would pet his hair at some point. It's all smashed and tangled from them rolling around.

“I know you do. Please tell me if anything is too much or if you feel weak. I want you, too, but not at the expense of your health. Okay?”

Link only manages a hum and a nod. Ganon drops the hand at his neck and curls forward to reach for the final bottle on the bed. It must be oil, but different from the kind he'd used to massage Link earlier. Link knows what it’s for, has used it once with Ganon. Link keeps his head tucked against Ganon's shoulder rather than watch him slick up the fingers of his right hand. He is nervous—he can admit that. But it's not the scared sort of nervous. His heart thunders away, hard enough for him to feel it in his fingertips and behind his eyes. Every inch of skin comes alive and makes the peach fuzz on him stand up. Link jumps as if shocked when Ganon’s left arm returns to holding him around his back. His hand is warm and flat on Link’s spine, holding him steady. Link can't help another jump when wet fingers dive between his cheeks and spread slippery oil around. He'll be a mess once they're done, and he blushes to think Ganon will have to bathe him again. It will all be worth it, though.

The brush of fingers rubbing around his hole is odd without water sloshing around them. Ganon has done this to him twice before, but Link isn't any more used to it than those two times. He cranes his hips back and rocks against his king’s thick fingers. Just this little bit feels good, and he would wonder why if he wasn't concentrating on his breathing, on staying relaxed. Ganon pushes against him after a while. Just a tease. Link bottles a moan in his mouth and pushes back. Warmth blooms against Link’s scalp where Ganon presses his mouth to blond locks. Each hum and breath from Ganon tickles Link’s head, and he shivers as a chill races down his spine. He pushes down harder against Ganon’s petting fingers and flinches when one almost slips inside him.

“Okay?”

Link nods where his head is still tucked against Ganon’s shoulder. He's warm, and sweat will surely bead up on both of them soon.

“You can… move,” Link bites out through another shiver. “I want you to.”

Ganon presses forward more, but stops when Link flinches again.

“I'm okay,” Link pleads. “Please, just… more. Anything.”

It nearly kills him to beg for that. It doesn't hurt so much like this. The pressure of something opening him is odd, but not unpleasant. The oil makes all the difference. Ganon hums in his hair while pushing through his tight muscles, all the way until thick knuckles brush his cheeks. Through Ganon’s slide inside, something inside Link throbs as skin glides over his walls. He tries not to jump, so instead his hips jerk in Ganon’s lap. Ganon's next hum takes an amused edge to it, and he slides out while grazing over that spot again. It's not that far inside him, somewhere behind his balls. Each slow, soft pass over that spot makes Link jump. They both know it's not from pain, now.

Link’s lips part and his teeth seek purchase as Ganon picks up a rhythm, rocking in and out of him. The poor kitchen boy gushes between them when he sinks his teeth into Ganon’s black skin and wrangles a hiss out of him. He doesn’t flinch or whine like a moment ago, and Ganon must take that as a sign to go faster. He will not break, and he even moves with Ganon as the pace picks up. Ganon’s knuckles smack against his ass as he plunges forward, harder than before. Link whines with skin between his teeth and only unhooks them in order to pant.

He's already leaking between them, electricity buzzing around his head even though he's not fully hard. Ganon touching him this way is almost as good as a hand on him. Link doesn't pay any attention to his half-hard cock, doesn't worry about why this doesn't make him fully erect. Ganon understands his body, understands what makes him feel good. It's just like the first time, how Ganon knows him so well already. Link tightens up around him just to test out the sensation. Thankfully, Ganon doesn't stop. It's better to tense as Ganon pulls out, trying to hold on to him.

A chuckle tickles his hair before a kiss flattens the strands. Link gives him a whine when the pressure inside slips out, leaving him oddly empty. Link doesn't object more than that, because he assumes they're not finished. One finger teasing him won't be enough, and he'd felt at least three covered in oil before. Sure enough, two points of pressure nudge against his hole. Like before, Link rocks his body back and down, eager for this to continue. Two fingers slipping into him hurts a little, mostly at his entrance. But Link swallows his hiss and moves with the slow back and forth of Ganon’s wrist.

“How’s this?”

Link startles at the deep purr in his ear. Ganon just softly laughs at his wiggling.

“Good um…” He shudders at fingertips curling towards his navel and rubbing his walls. “Heavy.”

“Heavy?”

Link nods with his eyes softly shut and squeezes Ganon’s shoulders.

“Your fingers. They're heavy, but it's… good.”

“I'm not hurting you?”

“N-no,” he gasps. “No, it's mmm…”

Another chuckle tickles his ear.

“Good?”

Link rocks a little harder on his knees, trying to shove Ganon deeper into him. His only reply is a moan that slips out between his lips. Ganon falls quiet again after that confirmation. The silence—besides the slick sound of fingers in him—helps Link focus on enjoying this. The pain is almost gone, even when the fingers in him slip to his rim, playing with the muscles and how tight he still is. Link smiles into Ganon shoulder as the attention there almost tickles. He certainly squirms on his knees like it does. He's warm and a little sore from having something in him, but the sting of penetration is gone.

Link jerks in his king’s lap as two fingers sink back into him in one, easy slide. Ganon takes to even, long thrusts now instead of toying with him. Link imagines this is what it will be like when they're finally joined together, him sitting snugly in Ganon’s lap. He tries to move with Ganon, rolling his body down as Ganon thrusts up. The timing is easy when they go slow like this. Each puff of air from Link’s mouth as he pants and moans blows over the skin he'd bitten earlier. Fussing a little, Link gathers enough air to speak.

“M-more. You can keep going. I want you.”

“All in good time, my treasure,” Ganon says with another curl of his fingers inside Link. “You're doing very well so far, nice and soft here.”

His fingers slip to Link’s rim again, swirling around to tease him. His skin is even hotter to the touch than before. Link wants to throw an arm behind him just to feel it, but he won't. If he releases his tight grip on Ganon’s shoulders, he'll fall over. Ganon continues those teasing, tiny motions at his entrance, and Link smacks his forehead into the king’s shoulder in protest.

“Hurry,” he whines, embarrassment thrown to the wind along with his shame. “I want more. My king, please hurry.”

Three points of contact, exactly what he'd wanted, rip a moan out of Link. Ganon must appreciate the sound, because he presses forward without delay. This hurts like when they'd tried in the bath, but Link keeps his breaths even and his body relaxed. If he tenses and fusses now, it will be for nothing. It will take ages for Ganon to get him calm enough for this, and already Link’s thighs shake where he kneels. The bed is soft under them, yes, but Link’s weight bows his back and strains his legs. Ganon must see him struggle, because he leans against the headboard to give Link the correct angle to slump on his chest. He does so, tucking his face into the crook of Ganon’s neck.

Sweat gathers here in the valleys formed by tendons, and Link licks it away. He wiggles on his knees to bring his mouth to the column of Ganon’s neck. If Ganon wants to go slow, then why not return his teasing in kind? Each little nibble from Link’s teeth coaxes a moan out of him. They vibrate between Link’s teeth. Slumped like this, Link’s body opens easier for the glide of more fingers in him. He's properly stuffed, now, but still tries to rock with Ganon’s gentle thrusts. It's more difficult with the king’s arm smashed between them. Link hopes his wrist is okay.

Link’s teeth only leave Ganon’s neck to let loose moans. He tries for Ganon’s name, but the A turns into a drawn out groan instead. The gentle back and forth into him picks up the pace, sending Link rocking harder into Ganon’s chest. A slight tremble accompanies each shove from Ganon’s hand. Link rocks on his knees a little more in order to compensate. His king must be tiring from this. His arm doesn’t shake, but tension stiffens Ganon’s wrist. It must be uncomfortable with his arm between them, wrist crooked in order to shove fingers into him. Link’s head clear some so that he might make this easier for Ganon.

Link sits up, jerking a little as the change in position sends Ganon’s fingers shoving hard where he's sensitive, and smacks a sloppy kiss to the corner of his mouth. Ganon hums at that and tilts his head accordingly to meet Link’s kisses. Link almost giggles into their kisses once Ganon laps at the seam of his lips and slips him some tongue. It's a novel experience to kiss someone and have some other part of them inside him, Link decides. He can't keep the little smile off his lips, and Ganon pulls back after a moment. If he mistakes Link’s expression for pain, he quickly amends that idea. He spies the blush returning to Link’s cheeks fiercer than ever and knows his little one is all right.

“What? What are you smiling about?”

Link shakes his head and says, “Nothing. Well, you I suppose. I was just thinking about you and… couldn't help it.”

It's Ganon’s turn to smile, and he does so while kissing Link’s cheek.

“How do you feel?” He asks while curling his fingers again. He gets to witness Link’s eyes fluttering shut and how his back arches with that caress. “Should we stop?”

Link shakes his head with it still tipped back, lost in sensation. His chin nearly touches his chest once Ganon’s fingers still again. He’s back to shivering and stuttering over his words with his blood excited again.

“N-no. I'm okay. Let’s keep going.”

“Are you—”

“Please,” Link blurts out, almost breathless. He finds the strength, even with Ganon’s fingers teasing him, to pick his head up and beg with big, blue eyes. “Please. I want to try.”

Ganon’s lips are still parted mid-word, but they stretch into a smile at Link’s plea. He nods, cranes forward to kiss Link’s cheek, and then removes his fingers. Link shivers hard in his lap at the slip, as his body greedily clings to Ganon’s skin. He slips out all the same, though, and his hand is warm and slick when it cradles his hip. They'll probably need another bath after this anyway, so Link doesn't mind. He's had worse smeared on his skin, honestly.

Ganon urges him to sit up on his knees again rather than slump against him. They both rock around, shifting to sit up straighter. All the while, Ganon holds him steady. Link finally takes the opportunity to wrap his arms around his king’s neck like he's wanted for a while now. He likes all their skin sticking together and touching all along their chests. The sweat is immaterial. Ganon will take care of them when they're done. And even if he doesn't, that's a problem for the future. Link is firmly in the present, firmly concentrating on the sensation of something hotter and wider than fingers rubbing between his cheeks. Link clings to Ganon’s neck and smashes his mouth to black skin. He muffles his eager whines that way, but Ganon feels them perfectly fine.

“Ready?”

Link nods with his teeth and lips pressed tightly to a shoulder.

“I'll go slow.”

“No,” Link murmurs against Ganon’s shoulder. “I'm ready. Don't go slow.”

The wide chest pressed tightly to his jumps in a chuckle.

“I might hurt you if I don't let you get used to it.”

“Hurry,” Link whines, still refusing to hear this “go slow” nonsense. He hops in Ganon’s lap, ignorant of the amused grin on Ganon’s face, and whines again, “Hurry.”

A warm chuckle rings in Link’s ear as Ganon finally pulls him down. Link spares a hope that no one walks by his king’s bedchamber right at this second, because his moan surely leaks into the hallway. He's tight around the head, but his body gives under the combined forces of pressure and gravity. Once Ganon is in far enough, he removes his guiding hand and holds both of Link’s hips. He barely has to coax the kitchen boy down, has to let loose his own groan when Link sucks him in and sits snugly in his lap. They both have to take a moment or two to breathe, to feel each other. Link continues to cling to Ganon while Ganon’s hands wander up and down his back. He’s nearly dizzy with so many sensations crashing down on him.

Ganon is thicker, heavier than his fingers. Link squirms a bit in his lap while trying to grow used to the pressure inside him. It only hurts at his rim, and not enough for him to ask Ganon to stop or slow down. Ganon just holds him and breathes heavily into his hair. Their skin is warm and damp with sweat, especially where their chests touch. Link uses that sweat to make it easier to writhe in Ganon’s lap. He tests how much moving hurts, the strain on his entrance stretched wide around his king. Ganon had taken such good care of him, teased him and pet him until he was ready. Link sits up a tiny amount on his knees before sinking back down. They moan together and dig fingertips into each other as they hold on.

“Please,” Link breathes while giving his king a squeeze. “I-I can't move on my own. My legs…”

“I've got you, my treasure. I've got you.”

Have him Ganon does indeed. His arms don't shake at all as he lifts Link up and then drags him back down. The powerful hips crushed between Link’s legs roll up as Ganon guides him down, almost smacking their bodies together. Link yelps and tightens up like they're going faster, harder than they are. He's seen beds shake under the power of two people moving together, heard the drag of furniture feet across the floor, too. Link’s arms tighten around Ganon’s neck as they set up an easy pace. The bed groans under then despite that pace, but Link enjoys it for now.

His skin tingles and lights up like molten metal, and that warmth races up his back. Every pale inch of him shines in sweat, but he won't complain. A week had nearly passed without any labor keeping him fit and tough. This is better than any task he's had to perform. And even with his eyes rolling back, Link knows he'll be boneless and exhausted once they're done. He wants this to last forever, to feel hot flesh thunder into him until eternity. Now he knows why people have to shove pillows and knuckles into their mouths while they do this. He no longer hears his own whines and moans, but his throat burns with them. His ears only tune back into them when Ganon shoves a hand between them to stroke him.

“N-no, no not that, no,” he moans, head thrown back and hips jerking between the two points of amazing pleasure given to him by his king. “Too soon, I-I’ll!”

“I know,” Ganon pants against his sweaty forehead. “I know. It's okay to come.”

Ganon doesn't understand his need for this to never end. Link slips a hand down, too, and grips Ganon’s wrist hard enough to hurt. The fist around him feels good, but he doesn't want to come yet! It can't be over so soon! But his body is helpless to the tight heat around him, and Link’s body soon jerks in Ganon’s hand. It's over embarrassingly fast even without the helping hand. He's never come without touching himself, but he'd been close just now. Ganon snaps his hips up with every clench around him, forcing Link to come harder. If he could spare a glance down, he'd see the white spatter making a mess of his king’s body hair. It dribbles out of him at the end when Ganon lets him go. With Link placid and loose, nearly falling over in his lap, Ganon focuses on one final task.

Link only gives a tiny whine when Ganon slips down the headboard to lie on his back. Link catches himself with his hands pawing at the wood, looking down at his king with tears eyes. What’s happening? Ganon’s hands are warm at his hips, skin barely sliding over the sweat. Behind Link, Ganon’s feet are flat on the bed, knees bent. Link shoots his king once last puzzled look before it all makes senses. The slap of a pelvis into his ass from below is much harder than Ganon dragging him around. Link had come only moments ago, but he wails and his voice breaks just like before. He grips the headboard with his knuckles turning white as Ganon pops him up with each snap of his hips. He’s too sensitive inside for this, but the rush of Ganon in and out is too good to beg him to stop.

Like this, with Ganon surging up and forward, the fat, wide head of his cock grazes over that place inside him. Finger dancing over it had made him see stars, but now Link’s eyes roll back until he sees nothing. Blessedly, his hearing goes out again, saving him from having to listen to his moans of Ganon’s name and begging him “please.” Had he only known it could have been like this the whole time! Link’s hair bounces around to the jolt of his body, to the powerful movements of his king below. He can't keep the smile off his face when Ganon’s pace stutters. He’s near his end so quickly, just like Link. Link would wonder why that is if he could think of anything besides them together right now.

“Please,” Link begs again, syllables knocked out of his mouth with each slap of their bodies. “Please, my king, please…”

Bruises will purple the skin of Link’s hips when they're done. Ganon grips him hard enough for Link to wince when he comes. Link is sure that's what happens when Ganon goes still under him, sunk all the way inside. Hands aching, they slip from the headboard and flatten on Ganon’s shoulders. Link shivers when he finds hooded, golden eyes watching him from below. Ganon peels a hand off him in order to pet hair out of his eyes, tucking the strands behind a pointy ear. That done, he cradles a blushing cheek and holds Link tenderly when Link turns into his caress.

Link would reach up and hold Ganon’s hand to him, but if he lets go, he's sure he’ll fall over this time. Staying still doesn't help the fact that his king can't stay in him forever. They both wince as a shift from Ganon has him slipping out. That knocks one last gasp and whine out of Link, and his back arches at the emptiness. They're as messy as he knew they would be, sweaty and salty from their orgasms. Link wouldn't change anything about their current states. Well, maybe he'd lie down in order to burrow into his king’s side and kiss him. But returning to the bath is higher on his list.

“Ganon,” Link whispers with his voice broken. He wiggles when his king doesn't meet his eyes immediately. “We need another bath.”

A lazy smile tugs up one corner of Ganon’s mouth.

“I suppose we do.”

Link blushes and adds, “Just a bath this time.”

Humming, Ganon sits up and collects Link in his arms, gifting him with a kiss to his cheek.

“Just a bath,” he promises.

It passes in silence this time, in innocence this time. Link lifts his head for kisses and to give them, but otherwise everything remains chaste. It only hurts a little when Ganon holds him open and rubs a finger over his insides, checking for blood. He's perfectly fine, if a little tired and hungry. Ganon makes quick work of drying them, sending for food, and then piling them back in the bed. He changes the sheets at the last second with Link hiding a smile behind a trembling hand. He had to point out the mess they’d made of the sheets. Ganon had been too eager to get them back under the covers to notice. He’s happy once the bed is made, though, and gladly follows his king.

All his built up strength is gone, and he collapses in Ganon's arms when they finally lower themselves to the bed. He hides amongst a cocoon of the heavy blanket when a servant knocks on the door, provisions in hand. Ganon thanks them quietly and then returns to Link’s side. He doesn't allow Link rest until he eats and drinks. He threatens to hand feed Link, although he does so with a teasing smile and a tickle under Link’s chin. Link does as he's told, eats and drinks what Ganon wants. When they finally, finally lie down, though, a thought keeps Link’s mind pacing.

“Ganon,” he says softly, seeking his king’s eyes in the glow of torchlight. “Can I ask you something?”

Ganon cracks an eye open, lying on his side, and hums for Link to continue.

Blush pinking his face even in the low light, he asks, “When… when we were together, I didn't want it to end so quickly. But um… Y-your hand on me, you made me…”

“I wanted you to come before me,” he says simply, lips barely moving. “I knew I wouldn't last long with you, and I wanted you to come first. I was nearly there already when I touched you.”

Link nods, is familiar with an orgasm sneaking up on him. He is considerably younger than his king, though. He'd thought that only happens to young people like him…

“Mmm, but um… Why? Why were you, ah… nearly there?”

He blushes even hotter while saying that, but he must know the truth. He refuses to look away from the one, glimmering eye that watches him.

Shrugging, Ganon admits, “I haven't slept with anyone since the night I discovered you here. Haven't wanted to. So, the moment we started, I was ready. Haven't felt like that since I was your age, to be honest.”

Ganon scoops him up after that and tucks Link under his chin. It saves Link from having to hide when his blush creeps down his neck and up his ears. Has Ganon truly not had anyone since they met? That doesn't sound fair or right to Link. Ganon has an entire harem at his disposal, waiting for him to call. Why… why would he abstain? He hasn't wanted anyone else, so… Link burrows deeper under Ganon’s chin as his mind races. What does this mean?!

A warm hand pets down his neck and then follows the dip of his spine as Ganon murmurs, “Sleep. I have to get up near sunset and attend to something, but let’s sleep for now. I'll come back as soon as I'm done.”

Link doesn't want to wake without Ganon beside him, but that's what happens. The messy sheets where Ganon had lain are cold to the touch, although the blanket is tucked snugly under Link’s body. Link hums while rubbing at his eyes. He attempts to sit up, but his hips and lower back protest such a movement. He rubs his hands over the most painful spots, trying to lessen the ache with heat. He won't waste the water on a third bath today, and especially not with his king missing. Link finds clothes for him folded on a chair and slowly coaxes himself into them. They're the loose top and linen pants he wears when he works. The materials almost feel foreign on his skin after staying in the sick bays for so long. As Link hobbles along down the hall, he finally recalls reaching the pretty fountain in the courtyard and collapsing.

Ganon had said a runner found him… But what’d happened after that? Who did the runner report to? How quickly had Ganon heard about one servant collapsing somewhere in the fortress? Link chews on a nail as he shuffles past the exact same fountain. Ganon had clearly worried about him once he found out. Link hopes he hadn't been doing anything important when he found out. Maybe he'd gone to the kitchen to make sure Link made it safely to work. Granny would have informed him that Link never showed up, was still missing. Ganon would have probably returned to his bedchamber and also found Link missing from there, too. The runner or someone else must have moved his body by then, if that's what'd happened. Oh, how worried Ganon must have been.

Link’s heart aches at the thought of causing his king so much trouble. The man is kind and sweet, doesn't deserve such anxiety. Link lays a hand over his heart while thinking about Ganon, about how he and his aunts had cared for him in such desperate times. Link reaches the doors to his kitchen, lets out a hopeless sigh, and then ducks inside. It is deserted, which he finds odd, but doesn't question. He'd rather sneak in without prying eyes or concerns thrown his way. He just wants to check on everything, is determined to return to work tomorrow. He stops at the split door that leads out to the courtyard where his hens are.

Ganon squats in the dirt, feeding them and softly speaking to them. Link is too far away to hear the words, but he recognizes the deep, gentle timber of comfort. Some hens wander around, uninterested in the giant form of the king. Many, though, cluster near him in order to eat or soak up his warmth. Link knows what that's like, for Ganon’s skin and the purr of his voice to draw you in. Link’s fingernails scratch at the top of the lower door as he forces himself to remain in the kitchen, out of sight.

His girls are so calm around Ganon. They don't pace, don't scream in terror of a stranger. Well, after caring for them for a week, he's not exactly a stranger. And Ganon moves slowly around them to not startle them and stress them out. He turns on the ball of one shoe and casts a glance over his shoulder. What had given him away, Link isn't sure. But once that molten gaze is on him, he's powerless. The latch of the lower door clicks open before Link knows what he's doing. He's at Ganon’s side, hands holding the king’s upper arms as the man rises to his full height. They stand entirely too close for what the sweltering sunset should allow. But Link can't think of a better place to be than right here.

“What are you doing out of bed?” Ganon asks while ducking down, dragging the tip of his nose along Link’s hairline. “Who said you could leave my bedchamber?”

He says so with a grin in his voice, and Link laughs softly between his arms.

Playing into Ganon’s flirty mood, Link boasts, “I said so.”

Ganon gets him by the hips and goes about pressing lazy kisses to Link’s hair. He pulls Link close enough so that Link has to lean on him. It doesn't miss either of them how Link grips one of Ganon’s legs between his as the king pulls him off balance. Neither complains or steps away.

“Is that so? I'll just have to carry my beautiful treasure back, then.”

Link turns his blushing face away from such sweet nothings and denies Ganon a kiss when the king tries.

“You say such silly things, my king. Has the sun gotten to you?”

“Not at all,” Ganon murmurs right back. He curls an arm around Link and cups his blushing cheek with the other hand. “I've only spoken the truth. You are beautiful.” He kisses Link’s temple. “You are a treasure.” His cheek next. “You are mine,” he murmurs at the corner of Link’s lips. “If you would have me, too.”

Swallowing hard, Link steadies his fluttering heart before giving Ganon his attention.

“Can I… May I confess something?”

Link’s honesty and open, wide eyes knock the flirt right out of Ganon’s mouth. The predatory gleam in his eye snuffs out like a candle, and he stands up straight to stop towering over Link.

“Of course,” he says softly, all traces of his smooth voice gone. “Are you well?”

Link nods and steps back into the safety and warmth of his king’s arms. A quick glance over Link’s shoulder proves that the kitchen is still as empty as he'd found it. No one has returned, which continues to strike him as odd. He must calm his nerves if he is to confess what's been bothering him since he awoke in the sick bay. It will be easier without an audience cooing over them. Link wishes he could pet his heart into calming like he can the cuccos. Ganon must pick up on his growing nerves, though, because the king grips his little chin in his fingers and lifts Link’s head up. His face is open and welcoming, smile ready on thick lips.

“Yes?”

Link wishes he could bow his head again and avoid Ganon’s deep eyes. Not having to stare his king in the face would make this easier, especially when Ganon tells him that his feelings are not the same.

Licking his lips, Link says softly, “I… I’ve been thinking about you. A lot since we met…”

Ganon smiles at him.

“I think about you, too.”

That doesn’t make this any easier.

“I mean, um… I should, um, explain something. You see…” Link trembles in his king’s hand, but he must go on. “We all care about you, my king. Very much. I know you said you’d be nothing without us, but, but the other way around is true, too. If you and the fortress weren’t here, I would be dead. Others too, or maybe in bad places. So, we all-all care about you very much.”

Ganon nods and thumbs the corner of Link’s mouth.

“I care about all of you, too. You know that, right? I care about all my people.”

A shaky smile fights its way onto Link’s lips as his emotions build.

“Yes, of course. We know you care about us. But um… When that feeling grows bigger, and… and when we start to think about you more and…“ He blows out a hard exhale and slams his eyes shut. “I’m sorry, this is difficult for me. I just mean that we think about you a lot, and we worry about you, and I want you to be happy, to be happy with you, and-and—”

“Link.”

Nearly out of breath, Link sucks in a shallow breath while opening his eyes. Their bodies and faces are exactly where Link had last seen them. But the world has somehow shrunk around them until it’s just him and Ganon left. Ganon’s smiling face and bright eyes are his whole universe. It’s a beautiful place.

“I love you, too,” he says simply. “If that’s what you were trying to say.” He bends down and kisses Link’s cheek. “I love you very much, my treasure. My love for you was always there, but meeting you brought it out and made it so much more.”

“You… love me? Truly?”

A chuckle blows against his cheek when Ganon nuzzles him.

“Yes. Truly.”

Link nods a little and mumbles, “Oh… okay.”

“Is that all right?” Ganon asks while standing back up to his full height. “May I love you?”

Link leaps up from the dust and cucco feed in order to throw his arms around Ganon’s neck. He spooks some of the girls, but he barely hears their squawks over his elation. His lower back protests his movements, but his legs lift up to encircle Ganon anyway. Ganon laughs above him and scoops him up, too, making sure he doesn’t fall. A few jerks of Ganon’s arms has Link scooting up his body until their faces are level.

Link tries to duck back down and hide, but lips and happy moans against his skin stop him. Link turns his head enough to accept those kisses and gives his own pleased sounds. Inside, he’s a mess of emotions that soar and skydive like birds. It’s all rushing and terrifying, but exciting, too. Never in his wildest dreams had he thought for one second that Ganon would love him, too, would say so easily like that. They part after a few kisses to catch their breaths, and they take a few moments just to look at each other.

“Yes,” Link breathes once he’s sure his heart won’t give you. “Please. I-I love you, very much, my king. More than… more than the others.”

“I thought as much, honestly. The way you look at me and the way you relax around me. I thought for sure, but didn’t say anything.”

Blushing, Link mumbles, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to trouble you.”

“No trouble,” Ganon says even softer, craning his head forward to peck a few kisses on pink skin. “From the first moment we met, you’ve not troubled me. You bring me great joy, joy unlike I’ve felt in a long time.”

Link loses touch with how to speak after that and just squeezes Ganon with his arms and legs. He doesn’t know what to say to that, how to begin to respond. Ganon just hums and pets his hair while supporting them. The sounds of night creep into the courtyard and join the gentle caws of the cuccos. Link sighs in Ganon’s neck and shivers at the first, rolling wind of night. It only takes a few shivers for Ganon to carry him back towards the kitchen.

It’s a feat for him to open the lower door, step inside, and then shut both doors with his hip. He manages without lowering Link to the stone floor, although the Hylian would object to that regardless. An island by the iron stoves presents itself as a place to touch down, and Ganon coaxes Link’s legs and arms to loosen some. Bottom firmly resting on the table, Link leans on Ganon and continues to hide his face. Ganon’s admission is stuck on repeat in his mind, even when thick fingers dive through his hair and pet him.

“Okay?”

Link nods in his hands and rubs his cheek against Ganon’s linen shirt.

“Yes. I… I don’t speak often or well, so I… I don’t know how to tell you everything.”

“That’s okay, don’t worry about it.” His hands slip down to cup Link’s jaw. Those baby blues meet his without much coaxing. “I know you love me, my little one. You don’t have to say anything.”

Swallowing hard between Ganon’s hands, Link says, “But I do um… I do love you, my king. I will… try to say it often, so that you know how I feel.”

Ganon’s smile widens as he says, “I would like that. Very much.”

Night batters against the courtyard door, howling outside in the courtyard. It startles Link, but Ganon’s hands and warmth keep him safe. How easy it has been to fall in love with this man. Link only wishes he had the bravery to act as Ganon does—kiss him and touch him so easily. The silence and solitude around them helps him find some of that bravery. Link arches up on his rear and pecks a quick kiss to Ganon’s smile. Ganon’s hands follow up him and hold him there for a proper kiss, mouths slotted together, heads angled in complementary ways. It’s nothing messy, nothing heated like earlier. It almost winds Link that just a few hours ago they’d held each other and moved in ways new to him. He blushes while recalling how his inhibitions had melted under Ganon’s touch, how he’d said things without hesitating. How he’d begged. He wants that again, and he’s sure Ganon will give it to him.


End file.
